The

Austra l i a ’s NUMB ER 1 sex column ist

, datin g and relatio nships

Everything you need to know about men, dating and sex

SAMANTHA BRETT

Samantha Brett is a columnist, dating expert, TV personality and writer of Australia’s number 1 sex, dating and relationships column ‘Ask Sam’ for the Sydney Morning Herald. Samantha regularly appears on the E! News Channel, Channel 10’s 9AM, The Today Show, The Morning Show, A Current Affair, Today Tonight and radio stations across Australia. Samantha is also the producer and host of the TV series The S-Word: Sex Secrets USA, which features interviews with celebrities, experts, authors, psychologists and pick-up artists. Samantha currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Sydney and has interviewed the likes of David Beckham, Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian and Mr and Mrs Kutcher to name a few. In her spare time, she likes to box, write and drink cocktails with her four best friends. www.samanthabrett.com

Contents
Part 1 The Singles Epidemic
A Cautionary Tale: Jane 1 Who is the modern man? SADFAB no more The male brain Why men are like cavemen Why men love the thrill of The Chase A Cautionary Tale: Lulu 2 The casual sex con: Why you need to keep your G-string on Why ‘Starbucks sex’ is no longer satiating the female appetite Sex like a man The oxytocin theory Don’t be a slut The slut test How to pass the slut test with ﬂying colours
3 9 10 12 13 17 24 31 32 33 36 39 41 43
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How to ask him out without him knowing Sex and the single mum Sex after forty: Because you’re worth it! A Cautionary Tale: Jane 8 Modern dating The ﬁrst date After the ﬁrst date The WHHC syndrome: Why hasn’t he called me yet? How to give good text What to do when he does call Reasons men give for not calling after the ﬁrst date The myth of the third-date rule A Cautionary Tale: Jane 9 Wonder Woman: The woman men want to chase Who is Wonder Woman? Why Heidi Klum is the ultimate Wonder Woman Looks vs personality: The great debate A Cautionary Tale: Poppy
170 172 173 176 180 181 191 194 196 199 200 204 208 213 214 218 219 223
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baby! Secrets of the Big O 260 What they didn’t teach you in sex ed 264 A Cautionary Tale: Jane 271
.Part 3 Managing the Modern Relationship
A Cautionary Tale: Poppy 10 Choosing the right relationship Are you settling? Don’t assume you’re monogamous (yet) Don’t say ‘I love you’ How to get him to commit to more than dinner plans Sam’s foolproof tips on how to get a man to commit Moving in together—are the odds against you? Introducing the modern peril of serial monogamy
229 233 234 238 241 243 248 249 251
11 Advanced bedroom skills: How to keep the sex hot amd steamy 253 Mistakes women make in the bedroom 254 Ooh.

12 Staying on track: How to make your relationship work How to NOT get him to propose 13 Other things men want you to know Why do men ogle women? Why do men look at porn? Why do men get moody? Epilogue The last word The Modern Man Survey results Acknowledgements Endnotes
274 275 279 280 282 288 291 297 299 302 304
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Thank you for teaching me that there really are good men in the world … and for giving hope to women everywhere.
.To my real-life Mr Darcy.

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So herein it lies. for the ﬁrst time ever I am revealing the naked truth about what men think about women. their lies. Much of it is shocking. Many of the men I’ve interviewed have said they’ve never been completely honest . So why have these men decided to reveal their secrets? Because they want modern women to know what goes on inside their heads: they want us to understand their games. UP UNTIL NOW. . . receiving half a million responses. But be warned: it’s not pretty . .
.After writing over 1000 columns. in all its naked glory: 101 things men want YOU to know. All of it is done in the name of tough love. jaw-dropping and difﬁcult to digest. their wants and needs. and interviewing too many men to count. . The reasons they do what they do.

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Part 1
The Singles Epidemic
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and a girl alone in a big city doesn’t say no to a good piece of ﬁsh. Since she hadn’t had much experience negotiating the treacherous Hollywood dating jungle. they headed to one of Hollywood’s most illustrious watering holes where the security was tighter than at an Al-Qaeda secret meeting and the drinks were ﬂowing freer than Lindsay Lohan’s breasts. Even though she suddenly found herself single for the ﬁrst time in ages. unlike many other femmes making the pilgrimage to the land of milk. After dinner. a man and a new life. he had offered to take her for the best sushi of her life.’ or ‘I’ll help you with your career if you blow me’. . ‘You may recognise me from the reality show . After all. but not desperate. she was shocked at what she discovered: randy men who rotated their women like they rotated their underwear. this reporter smelled of Diptyque perfume rather than the putrid stench of desperation. When a bunch of blokes
. she came across a refreshingly charismatic producer during an interview with him about his latest ﬁlm. she was eager. ‘I’m an actor’. honey.A Cautionary Tale: Jane
A small-town reporter named Jane went to Los Angeles on a mission: to ﬁnd a story.Though she didn’t feel any sexual connection at ﬁrst—he was ﬁfteen years her senior and two inches shorter (though she was wearing heels at the time)—she gave him her number anyway. After weeks of meeting boring men whose opening lines consisted of phrases like. plastic breasts and bling that dazzles even through the darkest Tom Ford sunglasses. to get back in the game. Yet. .

no sex stuff this morning.4
The Chase
recognised her date and bought them drinks. But the Producer was well-versed in this sort of reaction and instantly
. ‘Do you think we’d travel well together?’ he purred from behind her. retracted his hand and asked her what she wanted to know. .’ Jane said. FIRST NIGHT WARNING: Women fall in love with their EARS. The following morning.
‘Whoa. his hands clasping her waist.’ He laughed. Therefore men know all the right things to say and the right buttons to push with their words. especially on the first date or after a night of the horizontal hanky panky.’ He raised his hand to touch her breasts. Ignore everything he says . . NOT his vowels. She’d told him at the club that she wasn’t going to sleep with him so he’d better quit trying. . However please note: you can only really tell if a man is interested in you by his actions. rolling over. . ‘I want to take you to New Zealand. she woke up to ﬁnd herself naked and tangled in the Producer’s ivory silk sheets. It hadn’t mattered that she’d uttered the exact same thing the previous night.
#1. Jane felt like a rock star. ‘I want to get to know you ﬁrst. Wait until a few days later and see if he contacts you or does anything to see you again .

all bets were off. Not only had he heard it a million times before. but he knew he would always do what he always did best: get them to let their guard down then carry out the infamous ‘fuck and ﬂee’ manoeuvre. He grabbed her free hand—the one not clasping her fourth glass of champagne—squeezed it twice and whispered something delectable into her ear. So he told her he just needed to pick up something from his house before they headed to the next club. Or at least that’s what he told himself. ‘Oh.’ Jane stammered when they arrived at his place. She threw her head back in delight and squeezed his hand back: the universal signal that she wanted more. in her drunken haze. Once she agreed to the stopover. then whizzed away before she could yell. Every woman on the planet seemed to use the ‘I’m not a slut but you’re special so I’ll sleep with ONLY YOU on the ﬁrst night’ excuse after going back to a man’s place. I never do this sort of thing. ‘I’m not that into you!’ He then drove her all the way back to his pad—in The Valley. she had acquiesced. Jane hadn’t realised it was already 3 am and so. Unfortunately Jane hadn’t known any of this the following day when the Producer had politely taken her for a late breakfast of tea and cupcakes. Of course you don’t. She didn’t know this when he told her she looked cute in his borrowed T-shirt emblazoned
. He led her out the back of the club and into his red sports car.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : JAN E
5
recognised it as what he called the ‘anti-slut defence’. he thought as he poured himself a Jack and Coke.

don’t apologise. lose some weight (no-one in Hollywood dated anyone over size two). Even if you’ve never done that. every girl says it and he’s heard it a thousand times before . She craved excitement. He was everything she had been searching for her whole life. She was in lust. He’ll respect you more if you do . . . . . ﬁnd a new job. that she’d teamed with her six-inch metallic Manolo heels from the previous night and the metallic silver BCBG dress that crept right up to the crease of her butt. If you do decide to go home with him. Later that day he sent her a text telling her he couldn’t help but think she’d left too soon. she began making secret plans to move cities. . the reason she hadn’t committed to any of the nice guys she’d previously dated. He called her right before she boarded her ﬂight. . FIRST NIGHT EXCUSE: Every woman uses the perpetual I’m-not-aslut-I-never-do-this-on-the-first-date excuse when she goes home with a man on the first night. right before he proposed .
with the words ‘I Hate Celebrities’. travel. She
. Own your actions. She didn’t know it either when he told her he’d never met anyone like her before. happiness. On the ﬂight back home. dropped her off at her apartment and promised to keep in touch. and move into his luxurious chateau where he’d feed her strawberries dipped in chocolate as she sprawled on his bed and they wrote poetry together.6
The Chase
#2. feeling alive.

If you know ahead of time you’re not able to own your actions (and let’s face it—most of us can’t) don’t do it to yourself. .
#3. That’s because of the raging mothering hormones in our bodies that make us instinctively cling to the man we’ve just bonked.
. It’s not worth the heartache that is bound to follow . . One night ladies. And she was going to do everything in her power to get him. ONE NIGHT RULE: One night is all it takes for women to fall hopelessly in love with a man you’ve only just met.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE: JAN E
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had to have him.

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Henry Louis Mencken
.1
Who is the modern man?
Men weren’t really the enemy—they were fellow victims suffering from an outmoded masculine mystique that made them feel unnecessarily inadequate when there were no bears to kill.
Betty Friedan
The only really happy folk are married women and single men.

. cheated on. played. never apologised and never plucked up the courage to offer an explanation or any sense of closure. I am here to tell you that you are better than that. trapped. ‘So when will we be seeing a ring on your ﬁnger?’
. it’s time for us to take a stand. It’s time for women to seize back the dating power. Well. dumped. No more. used. and ‘on the shelf ’. It angers me to see so many intelligent women morphing into SADFABs (Single And Desperate For A Boyfriend . tossed away like last night’s condom. It’s time modern women stood up on their high heels and shouted that we’re no longer going to be the victims of the dating game gone wrong. or don’t have to arrive at your best friend’s wedding with a rent-a-date just to avoid the dreaded. And no longer are we going to make ourselves sick on a diet of Candy Men. So no more hanging around a man you know is a lecherous cad just so you don’t end up alone. the fuck and ﬂee—where men get to act like kids in a candy store and pick and mix as they please. quick ﬁxes and addictive behaviours. or baby) just because some loser they dated or slept with never called again. No longer will we let men break our hearts into a million different pieces as they ﬂick through their multitude of options. ladies. We’re no longer going to be lied to.10
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SADFAB no more
Welcome to the age of the pash and dash. .

Seize it. . . Just don’t seize a man and dig your ﬁngernails into him so deeply that he has no choice but to run. . You are in control of your destiny. Ladies. and make him wonder!
It’s time to stand up to anyone who pressures you to hurry up and marry the next eligible Lothario who works his devilish charm on you. We’re ‘freemales’—modern women who do what they want. or to settle for the next decent man who comes along even if he doesn’t share your tastes in anything. the ﬁrst step in any plan is understanding what you’re up against.WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
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#4. And we’re not about to let a bunch of old-fashioned nobs tell us how to run our lives.
. MAN RULE: Don’t be a SADFAB! When you’re a SADFAB. . Who cares if our mothers were married and had two kids by the time they were twenty-ﬁve? Who cares that by some men’s standards women are over the hill the instant they hit twenty-ﬁve? We’re a different generation. so I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned—welcome to the science of the male brain . Don’t lay out your cards on the table or expect him to slot into your life plan. Be a Wonder Woman . men can see it in your eyes and smell it in your sweat.

YOU. or sleep with them on the ﬁrst date. modern men are no different to the men that existed since before iPods. Despite their new loafers. by the way) this doesn’t mean someone’s waved a magic wand over male behaviour and men no longer mind if we ask them out. Best viewed under a microscope. ladies. trendy hairdos and Country Road collared shirts. newsﬂash—nothing has changed since the caveman era. . Pilates gyms and Gossip Girl.12
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The male brain
The sad truth is. or call them incessantly. . or even brag that we can indeed have sex like men.
. That’s right.
Crotch scanning area Ball sports Dangerous pursuits Ability to drive manual transmission Ironing Attention span ‘Avoid personal questions at all costs’ area Toilet aiming cell
SEX
Listening particle
Domestic skills
SEX
Lame excuses gland
TV and remote control addiction centre
NOTE: the ‘Listening to children cry in the middle of the night’ gland is not shown due to its small and underdeveloped nature. And that means it’s their instinct to hunt their prey . Just because there’s been a sexual revolution (which men are still gloating about behind our backs. Because. modern men are still biologically built to act like cavemen. or tell them how we feel.

love.WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
13
Male brain: sex. support. car. pizza. but not drunk enough so that she passes out before he gets a blow job. Sounds delightful. That is if you can whip your head around the fact that all men are simply cavemen at heart and are therefore biologically wired to act. porn. he sees a woman like Jane as a challenge: game meat that he has to hunt. sex. sport. his pulse races and his dick goes hard. have his way with her and then send her on her merry way. club her over the head. more beer. cricket. sex. And he knows how to do it. cuddling. He wants to be the guy who’s going to sweep her off her feet. The Neanderthal Male liked nothing more than to stalk his chosen mate. Dirty Dancing and My Best Friend’s Wedding. roses. Love Actually. sex. sex. All guys on the hunt do: they know exactly what a woman will fall for. which drinks make her tipsy just enough to go home with him. He needs to know if he still has it. Female brain: marriage.
Why men are like cavemen
Men are not really that difﬁcult to understand. The Notebook. Adrenaline rushes through his body. think and respond the same way they did thousands of years ago. romance. He needs to feed his ego. which lines will work. commitment. food. When a man like the Producer comes along. sex. drag her back to his cave. doesn’t
. beer. babies.

And we’re supposed to believe that men haven’t evolved right alongside us since the caveman era? Puh-lease. or at least out of the nightclub. only to buy push-up ones.
. while many gents might love to use the caveman theory as an excuse for some of their more outlandish ways—like being unable to direct their pee into the toilet bowl. Women have evolved so thoroughly throughout time. Hence I decided to approach American writer Jonathan Innerarity. morphing from gatherers to housewives to career women while still bearing and raising children all the way along. We’ve realised the power of our breasts.14
The Chase
it? And things haven’t really changed all that much these days—except for the clubbing scenario. who on his xenlogic blog gives one of the best explanations of the caveman theory I’ve heard. prodding. tightening and bleaching everything from our teeth to our buttholes. which the modern man may like to attempt but for the fact that he could be thrown in jail. Physically. then burnt our bras. When I asked him if I could share his theory with my readers he was ﬂattered. and then purchased chicken ﬁllets to enhance our breasts even further. and getting a thrill out of logical explanations and problem-solving—I ﬁnd it difﬁcult to get my head around it. we’ve started injecting. However. You can see why this little factoid befuddles me. waxing. scratching their private bits in public.

‘That’s why even to this day. deep in men’s unconscious. So long as a being has two breasts and a vagina. the human race would’ve been wiped out millennia ago by a series of natural upheavals . it’s highly unnatural for any one man to desire only one woman. and other variables are moderately suitable. In fact. ‘The caveman instinct is what kept the human race alive. ‘Men are naturally polygamous. Monogamy is a skill we taught
.WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
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Why men are like cavemen by Jonathan Innerarity
‘Men were designed to copiate women—hunt them even—all eligible women—like a pack of wolves after prey. friendship is not a top priority for any two-legged mammal with a penis. However.That’s a mental state that came with the pussiﬁcation of society so as to sustain life on this tiny planet with limited resources. Two men can be the best of friends. The caveman instinct is what makes us that way. I will boldly assert that because of this hard-coded biological imperative. the relationship becomes one of pursuit à la subterfuge. propelling us to sexually desire every even mildly attractive pair of legs wrapped in a skirt. Many of us men wish we could just turn it off—but that’s not possible. It’s pretty annoying really. the world has become so populated that we no longer need this caveman instinct— but it is still there. men still want more vagina—even when we’re happily married with children. . . when it’s a man and a woman. If men didn’t want to stick their penis into every vagina within a visible 100-yard radius. Millennia later.

’ All this makes our efforts to painstakingly analyse. light banter on the car ride home and a warm body in the sack. That’s why we invented all that religious mumbo jumbo to control our urges before we were smart enough to invent condoms. The man was even free to leave as soon as the deed was done. probe and decode a man’s words. if all they’re doing is simply reacting to their biologically wired caveman instincts. dating. Or not. Because modern women weren’t afraid to call or chase him. this meant saying goodbye to the superﬂuous business of courting. ‘Fanfucking-tastic!’ they cheered. And. Suddenly—thanks to us allowing this—they believed that all women wanted was some company over dinner (some women even chose to pay their share).16
The Chase
ourselves so that we can maintain sustainable reproductive development in modern societies. Women became as aggressive in the bedroom as they were in
. just so long as he promised to call her in the morning. ‘Women want sex just as much as men?’ the gents asked with glee. things have been going even further downhill. coercing. text messages or emails a little embarrassing. ever since the sexual revolution. no more acting like Mr Nice Guy to get a woman into the sack.To them. romanticising—all that lovey-dovey codswallop. Finally. when women valiantly reclaimed their own sexuality.

one size should ﬁt all.
Why men love the thrill of The Chase
Ah. the women told themselves. His heart is racing. The big difference being that the men didn’t even have to ﬁt properly. his cheeks are ﬂushed and his adrenaline’s pumping. many women mistakenly ﬂipped the natural order on its head.WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
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the boardroom. . What the hell is going on? he wonders. the girl he’s trying to score isn’t so easy. hoping that he’ll soon get lucky without having to put in too much effort. Isn’t she into me?
. (And sometimes even that didn’t matter. the thrill of the man-chase. But hey. Women effectively became hunters themselves. He’s anxiously waiting for that small sign of interest from the hot femme he’s been so relentlessly pursuing. chasing men like they were the last pair of Jimmy Choos in their size at a samples sale. But alas. She doesn’t return his text messages. cancels their date at the last minute and seems uninterested in meeting his friends . ever. As long as he was a living.) In an attempt to beat men at their own game. overturning biological patterns that have been in place for thousands of years. breathing male with a job and no criminal record. .

his competitive nature kicks in and he tries even harder. You’re a prize to be caught and he should feel lucky to have you!
Instead of backing off and letting some other gent win the race. whiny. Hence. The urge to win is in his blood.18
The Chase
#5. she’s become the ultimate challenge. THE POWER OF THE CHASE: Never underestimate the power of The Chase. MEN FEED OFF COMPETITION: Appear too easy or offer yourself up on a silver platter and he’ll lose interest before you can yell ‘dessert’!
Men are creatures of habit. makes his competitive nature start to take shape. And he’ll continue to chase her until he pins her down. mate and fornicate on instinct. it’s all about caveman inclinations. He begins to chase her. actions that have been programmed into
. three months or three years. For them. They date. desperate or clingy. no matter what stage of the relationship you’re in—whether it be three dates. by dating multiple people (without rubbing it in your caveman’s face) or by subtly being ‘busy’ when he calls for a booty call.
#6. By not showing any interest. And he’s not going to let this woman get away. Avoid being needy.

juiciest prey.’ As someone famous once said: ‘Isn’t the chase more exciting than the catch?’ And as the men I’ve interviewed would say.
Sex and the dopamine effect
Another reason why men love the thrill of The Chase is because during the hunt their brains release a whopping amount of a chemical called dopamine. that’s you.WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
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them for so many centuries. Not only did cavemen need to hunt. And when a caveman saw the woman he wanted being pursued by other men of the tribe. they don’t know any other way. Today. like eat or have sex. he would do everything in his power to beat those men to the prize. Pursuing a woman by buying her things or ﬂirting increases levels of dopamine. so it’s easy to see why they do it so often. but there was FIERCE competition among the entire tribe to see who could bring back the biggest. ‘Amen to that. the more competitive he would be. The bigger and stronger the man. a feel-good chemical that’s released when we do something pleasurable. otherwise known as the ‘feel-good’ chemical. Says relationships guru Ian Kerner: ‘From an evolutionary perspective. Many men thrive off this feeling. They need to brag about their conquests so the rest of the tribe will see who is superior. the pursuit of sex stimulates the reward centre in a man’s brain. They need to protect their freedom. They need to hunt.’
.

acting needy or morphing into a clingy. putting on the pressure. ‘He has to check with me ﬁrst to see if I’m free for a romantic dinner.20
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#7. WARNING: MEN LOVE THE THRILL OF THE CHASE thanks to the dopamine effect. even seven years on. It’s just that she’s aware of the fact that if she makes it too easy for him then he’s going to run away faster than Lance Armstrong powering down a mountain on his MX5 bicycle. When I asked her what her secret was to pinning down her caveman for more than a pash and dash. Which.30 am spin class. a weekend getaway or even just to have breakfast with him on a Sunday morning because I usually reserve that time for my 7. she said it’s the fact that she’s never completely available.’ said 27-year-old Petra. Even if you’re in a long-term relationship. I assure you ain’t you!
The Chase never ends
‘My boyfriend still pursues me. girlfriend. leaving him high and dry and looking for his next prey. Give in to a man’s chase too easily and his dopamine wears off.’ she explained.
. marriage-obsessed Bridget Jones will spell the kiss of death for the union. It’s not that Petra’s playing games with her man. chase to get me on the phone.

calls or visits to his cave you make.
. a man’s going to forget about you. he’ll chase you down no matter what the odds! In fact. MAN FACT: Don’t think for a second that if you don’t make contact. It all comes down to their biological make-up.WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
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The fact is: men need to chase. And don’t think for a second that you can rationalise your behaviour by saying that if you don’t call him he’ll forget you exist and stick his bits into some other woman’s slots. or even have sex with him too soon. And that’s why it’s to your detriment to call him when he hasn’t called you. All you’ll get out of it is a loss of respect—of him for you and you for yourself. the more it will drive him crazy to pin you down.
#8. we just have to accept it. If a man is into you. If he’s going to do that he will do it regardless. to email him too many times. the more aloof you are. no matter how many texts. berate him over his lack of commitment. to accept booty calls. Whether we women like it or not.

’—Tosh ‘Men have been chasing after something.’—BTDT
. By the way. we chase because we can and it makes us feel more like men. it doesn’t hurt that women obviously like being pursued (provided they’re attracted to the hunter). since we crawled out of the primeval ooze.22
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From the Male Room
‘Once a girl becomes too available your self-worth increases and you may begin to feel you can do much better. Simply. and more importantly been rewarded for it. Speed and strength are an important difference between the sexes on a basic level and men assert their masculinity by exploiting those differences.Anything too easy gets taken for granted. It’s not very complicated really. I think women tend to treat it as a compliment that they’ve been singled out as worthy of the time and effort that every good wooing takes if it’s done properly. women inevitably fall prey (bad choice of words!) to that same instinct. Although not an object to be “hunted”. All the hang-ups you had as a desperate single man have suddenly disappeared. Claiming something rather than having it given to you is a sense of accomplishment and really that is what has driven mankind to progress as a species.You always value something or someone you’ve had to win over rather than just had it or them fall in your lap. We feel empowered if we’ve gone after something and gotten it.

’—Darkman ‘Men chase women until the woman catches them. A relationship on the other hand is evolving. challenging and hopefully very interesting. but we also want someone who does not take us for granted. For women. . men need a challenge. deep down. Bear in mind that. I believe women are cavewomen.’—Gary ‘Do you want sex or a relationship? Sex is predatory. someone that is responsive to our wants. those negative consequences exist—hence the need to pretend the sleeping around doesn’t happen. ﬁnd truly exceptional women harder to come by. It’s just that men.’—Dave
. so in the absence of eligible partners and almost no negative consequences for sleeping around—we’ll have fun and stay uncommitted. and once the kill has happened—well. yes.The Chase is over. .WH O IS TH E M ODE RN M AN ?
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‘Men need entertainment. like women. We can settle and we do but we get bored.

#9. At thirty-three. she’d never really had a problem with getting a man. She’d been single for too long and her biological clock was ticking loudly enough to tell her she had to hang on tightly to the next man that looked her way . DESPERATION STINKS: Men can see it. however. She did. hear it and smell it a mile away. but didn’t everyone?) ﬁve-foottwo ball of energy was ready to attract a new man into her life. . university-educated girl (who looked just like a clone of Renee Zellweger from Bridget Jones’s Diary) moved to LA to make something of herself in the world of law. she knew she had at least ten pounds to lose. voluptuous (okay. have difﬁculty keeping him. even though you hardly know him. While Lulu wasn’t the best-looking girl of the bunch (she always suffered from a little weight problem but compensated with her over-the-top personality). And have his babies. feel it. Lulu. the smart. a mousy-blonde. . then Lulu Johnson would be emanating an odour so foul it would stink worse than a strip club on a Sunday morning. If you are after him for his potential husband/fathering skills. And marry him.A Cautionary Tale: Lulu
If single women out on the prowl stink of desperation.
. . . he is going to run a mile .

They’d been together for a few weeks (okay. I wonder what he thinks about kids? she thought. she knew this time it would be different. He wasn’t a player. cad. not exactly. After all. She’d spotted Chad’s bulging biceps. At least. He could even speak French! And it was Lulu’s dream to one day live in Paris and learn the language.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : L U L U
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And then Lulu met a man who was different to all the others. And that’s exactly what happened. but already she knew that he had the potential to be ‘the one’. and experiences with men who’d damaged her delicate heart by fucking and ﬂeeing. So she’d waltzed up to him at the water cooler and given him her best ﬂirtatious smile as he worked on his biceps. boyish face and Conan O’Brien-esque long chestnut hair at the gym and had quickly surmised that he was just the type of guy she was looking for. courses she’d attended. two). that’s what Lulu thought. Well. she thought she ﬁnally had it all pieced together and was able to spot a decent guy when he turned up on her doorstep. a loser. Or she hoped it would be. After all the self-help books she’d read. you just had to smile at him and that was enough of a come-on for him to let his guard down without fearing rejection. I must remember to ask him when he wakes up. cheat or wannabe Casanova. As she lay tangled in the chocolate-brown silk sheets of Chad’s bed. their connection was electric. Or at her local gym. a pick-up artist. She’d read in one of her self-help books that you didn’t actually have to go up and talk to a guy to get his attention. She looked at the man beside her and felt a sharp pang in her chest as she pictured doing this every day for the rest of her life. to be exact.
.

. Date other men. . ‘He never really ﬂirted with me. move on. to a thirty-minute light jog) and it wasn’t long before they were having a coffee afterwards and talking about life. It’s the only way you’ll ever know if he’s truly that into you.
.’
#10. EVER. But I could tell that underneath he was a sensitive. doting on you or following you around like a lovesick puppy from day one. . which directly faced the men doing weights.
Lulu explained to Jane that one Friday night she’d been sitting at home nursing her second glass of wine and cursing the fact that she was single when she received a message from Mr Gym. ‘In front of his mates he was all macho and muscly . ‘What u up 2?’ he had asked. Mr Gym. They began seeing each other daily at the gym (she bumped up her twenty-minute stroll on the treadmill. vulnerable guy who had really deep insights about life. . Upsetting the natural balance of The Chase will never ever work . sex and protein shakes. THE CHASE: If he’s not chasing you. Live your own life and wait for him to come crawling to you.26
The Chase
He didn’t really notice her smile so she’d tapped him on the shoulder over at the chest press.’ Lulu told her reporter friend Jane over lattes and white chocolate hazelnut gelato at Primo Café on the Sunset Strip. calling you.

eventually. .’ she said. This is big. they were a Friday night ‘thing’. ‘Want to come over and watch a movie?’
#11. But if you don’t. Halfway through the movie he kissed her. Not that she cared. She knew it would lead to something . . just like that. Of course if you like the guy. it’s a bonus. Only this time they had sex. It was the most delectable kiss of her life and made the insides of her legs tingle. don’t kid yourself by attempting to believe his lies. Not that she minded. The piles of stuff everywhere meant they had to double up on the couch. tips and tactics to get women into bed. he’s different to every other guy I’ve been with . Lulu had become ‘After-DinnerSex-Girl’. . ‘He’s really different.’ Lulu gushed to Jane.’ she’d replied. ‘I’m in love. . ‘Isn’t that great? Finally!’ Her green eyes were as wide as saucers as she waxed lyrical about Chad. And suddenly. the pattern was repeated. Seriously. Nine times out of ten he’s only after ONE THING!
A frisson of energy ricocheted through her body and she could hardly contain her excitement. When she arrived at his pad donned in white jeans and a beige peasant top.
. Pretty bored actually. MAN INVITATION ALERT: Men use certain lies. The next Friday night. she was astounded by how tiny his apartment was.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : L U L U
27
‘Nothing much.

he could deﬁnitely be “the one”! For real this time. I hope he calls me soon. And that hadn’t ended well. . .You know.’ As usual. It seemed no matter how smart Lulu was.
#12. pushing her gelato aside. you’re immediately going to be categorised into the ‘Booty Call’ category. Lulu had compartmentalised Chad into the box of ‘future-husband-father-of-my-kids-needs-to-meet-mymum-immediately-and-buy-me-a-ring’. ‘He said he would. Don’t expect him to wine and dine you or take you out on a date. Make sure that’s what you want before you get yourself into it!
‘I can’t even eat any more. I just love talking to him.28
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Jane didn’t dare remind Lulu that they’d had the exact same conversation about another guy—Matt someone—only a few weeks before. no matter how many times you multiplied the orgasms and rooted the square. HOW TO ENSURE YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN A BOOTY CALL: If you go over to a man’s house after 10 pm at night.We have so much in common. ‘God. she just couldn’t do the man-math and realise that one dickhead after another dickhead did not cancel out the third dickhead.’
.’ Lulu said. call you his girlfriend or introduce you to his mates.’ Lulu glanced surreptitiously at her iPhone. There are all these butterﬂies in my stomach. you know? It’s like we can talk for hours and hours and we’re totally on the same wavelength . ‘It’s like I’ve completely lost my appetite.

who believed them all). and knowing all too well that it never ended in Lulu’s favour (she’d heard every male excuse in the book via Lulu. or any time after you’ve been in his presence in any state of undress. It had been two whole weeks since she’d heard from him. know that when a man goes MIA after the ﬁrst date or the ﬁrst time you sleep with him. . Her emails remained unanswered. assume immediately that it’s not you—it’s some other ﬂoozy that has come along and had sex with him or given him a blow job a little better than you did. her text messages lay ﬂoating in the ether and her Facebook inbox was empty. .A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : L U L U
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Jane said nothing. Once the two of them embrace. What the heck happened? Jane wondered.
. FIRST NIGHT WARNING: Whilst he may promise you the world on the ﬁrst date. he’s completely forgotten about you and is probably already onto his third girl by the time you realise he hasn’t been in touch. Two weeks since he’d had roses delivered to her apartment. Imagine you’re in a conga line and she’s just the next dancer along. Besides having heard this story a million times before. Jane was lost in her own thoughts about the Producer. And seriously—why the heck would you want to date a guy who sleeps with women like he’s in a fucking conga line? No thank you . Had he met someone else? Hadn’t he got her messages? Should she try calling him again?
#13.

Chad was deﬁnitely going to make the perfect father . ‘I said I think he’s “the one”!’ At that moment Lulu’s phone beeped with a text: ‘You on for tonight? 11 pm?’ Her heart skipped a beat. .30
The Chase
‘Hello! Are you even listening to me.
. Janey?’ Lulu asked as she frustratedly stabbed at her gelato. .

Men just need a place.
Billy Crystal
Don’t have sex.2
The casual sex con: Why you need to keep your G-string on
Women need a reason to have sex. It leads to kissing and pretty soon you have to start talking to them.
Steve Martin
. man.

indeed. Crazy. she doesn’t decline. ‘He was the one who initiated things with me! And now he’s ending them?’ Later that night. The next morning she sends him a text. All good so far. sensual.’ she says. Jocelyn is taken aback. he is cute. After all. she describes the experience as hot. When Ken asks to buy her a drink. you break the rules and you have to go home immediately. ‘That was hot. If you talk. eyeing her phone. ‘Be at my place in an hour. A hairdresser named Jocelyn meets a man named Ken at a hip restaurant downtown. Ouch. I want this to be hot and anonymous. ‘That’s weird.’ he responds. seductive.32
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Why ‘Starbucks sex’ is no longer satiating the female appetite
Here’s a true tale. When he doesn’t reply. Don’t talk. charming. Come naked. funny and works right around the corner from her house.’ ‘I’ll do it. it seems he changes his mind. ‘I just need some time to myself right now. That night he sends her a text saying he wished he could see her again.’
. Later. orgasmic and unlike anything she’s ever experienced before.’ she responds. She responds that she’d love to get together. The following day she sends him a message asking him where and when he’d like to meet. she sends him another text.

it’s your right as a modern woman! It’s what feminism was made for! It’s what freemales do best!
. I am still messed up over my ex. Not because she thinks he’s ‘the one’. I won’t be contacting you or seeing you for a long time.’ he replies.
Sex like a man
Ever tried to have sex like a man? By that I mean with no emotional connection.’ I watch as her face reddens and her heart appears to break into a million different pieces. She didn’t own the experience. no expectation of eggs and bacon the following morning and no intention of seeing your lover ever again afterwards? I bet many of you have. I’m not saying that if she’d implemented The Chase things would have ended differently. instead she assumed that by giving him sex.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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I am having coffee with Jocelyn when she receives a text from Ken. ‘Yes. But because she’s angry at herself for pegging so many false hopes on this man. And why shouldn’t you dip your toes into the icy waters of one-night stands? After all. I’m just saying that she never really gave it a chance. Not because she’s in love with him. in return. she’d get some form of love. ‘But we can’t do this again. that was hot. or at least recognition.

4% of women are ‘FREEMALES’—the new breed of women described as ‘Bridget Jones meets Sex and The City’ who say they’d rather be single than share their lives with a man. phone call. the fuck and ﬂee.
Most of us don’t believe in commitment in many facets of our lives—staying in one job long-term has become a thing of the past. while social arrangements are cancelled on a whim with a text message—so why be committed to one man? Why not just hook up with many instead? As my life coach friend Alina Berdichevsky explains: ‘It’s a way of sampling the goods without emotional investment. I am all for a woman owning her sexuality and claiming to be able to do it like a man. with no emotional strings or psychological connection.34
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DICTIONARY ALERT: 51. To be able to wake up the following morning and declare that she’s okay with the pash and dash. let me set the record straight.
. and she is honestly NOT expecting a follow-up text. Before I go into why casual sex is all a bit of a hoax.’ Great! Hooray! Let’s shout about it from atop our stilettos! But the question remains: does this approach work to get us what we want? Will hooking up lead to a long-term sustainable relationship that will make you feel whole? Apparently not.

She wanted to talk to him. starting from NOW. as long as you can handle the consequences: you don’t expect a follow-up call from the dude you just bonked. girl! But if that’s not you. Suddenly. go to dinner with him. . and you feel empowered and proud of your actions the following day .
Let’s return to Lulu. she wanted to be with him all the time. because you can change your life. from ‘A Cautionary Tale’.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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Facebook message or invitation to his sister’s wedding.’ But something strange happened to her. If that’s you—then go. and even contemplated marrying him. I’m different. And Mr Gym became that man. ‘But I can. She once conﬁded to me that it was okay that she slept with men she hardly knew because she could have sex like a man. . CASUAL SEX IS GREAT: . .
#14. get texts from him. Something went ‘ping!’ inside her—her biological clock had started up and suddenly she began to long for a man to commit to her in ways she’d never thought she wanted.’ she said.’ she told me. . then read on. ‘I feel like I’ve been hypnotised. ‘Most women can’t pull it off. and you’re sick and tired of playing the ﬂoozy card. ‘What should I do? Tell him how I feel?’
.

men have been having sex like it’s something they’ve grabbed on the go. doesn’t mean he’s the last man on the planet. Mr Ordinary becomes Mr Oh-So-Fabulous once we’ve shagged him. remember.
.36
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#15. thanks to a hormone that gets released into our brain known as oxytocin. the decision was entirely up to her. Getting physical between the sheets—no matter how much fun modern women have while doing it—does something quite serious to the chemicals in our brains. It’s just the way being with him makes you feel about yourself. this is the guy who’s been treating her like Friday-night dessert.
The oxytocin theory
For centuries. which is a carefully orchestrated plan by him. also dubbed ‘the cuddle hormone’. I couldn’t tell Lulu what to do. Find other ways to boost your ego!
Now. But what I could offer was an explanation I’ve gathered from hundreds of women who feel exactly the same way: the love-sick puppy response women get after casual sex is symptomatic of a chemical reaction that occurs only inside the female brain. MAN-HOAX: Just because you’re obsessed with him. Yet women are genetically wired a little differently.

we think we’re soooo into this guy now simply because our bodies have tricked us into believing it’s true. chase. to declare his undying love. but by his actions—but right now we’re focusing on what to do if this happens to you when you’re NOT in a committed.1 it starts to stimulate maternal behaviour. just seeing that person can release more oxytocin in her brain. as soon as we hop into bed with the dude.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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This is a devilish little chemical because. Men also release oxytocin. According to psychiatrists at the California School of Professional Psychology. he’s holding you at arm’s length from him. in fact. to father our babies and ask us to live happily ever after with him behind a white picket fence. And after a woman has repeatedly had sex with the same person. despite how many times we tell ourselves that we’re not quite that into a guy on the ﬁrst and second date. chase him. This is all good and ﬁne if the guy you’ve just bonked is wildly in love with you too—and you’ll know this not by his words. In other words. but decide to give him a go anyway. he’s not going to put any effort into taking things further with you. Hence we become desperate for him to call us. monogamous relationship with the man and. but their testosterone neutralises it before it can affect their thoughts
. the hormone starts to do its dirty work. You sense something isn’t right (and women are great at this kind of intuition so listen to it!) and so you feel that unless you chase.

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and actions. We’re not so lucky—the oestrogen in a woman’s body magniﬁes and intensiﬁes the effects of the hormone, making us all the more clingy.
#16. NO CASUAL SEX TIP: Oxytocin is released every time you have sex . . . So whether you like it or not, it’s going to wreak havoc on your emotional responses, hindering your ability to have sex like a man.

‘It all makes sense now!’ Jane squealed when I explained the oxytocin theory to her and Lulu. ‘I wasn’t even attracted to the Producer in the ﬁrst place—but as soon as I’d had sex with him and we were cuddling afterwards, something changed. The next day I suddenly found myself thinking more and more about him. Even fantasising about him. And then willing him to call. And then sending him desperate text messages asking him where he’d been. That’s so not like me!’ I nodded. I’ve seen it all before. While every woman loves to boast about her ability to have sex like a man, the oxytocin kicks in once she gets all caught up in a knot when he doesn’t call. And tries to rectify the situation by sending him a barrage of ﬂirty text messages. And even more texts when he doesn’t reply, asking if everything is okay. Which effectively turns her into every other gal he’s come into contact

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with. She was so sweet and pretty and seemingly normal, he thinks. What the fuck happened? Sex happened, that’s what.

Don’t be a slut
DICTIONARY ALERT: SLUT (n): A woman who talks about sex, looks like sex and then offers up sex too soon, all before he’s had a chance to implement his chase.

As we discussed in the last chapter, men thrive on the thrill of the hunt, The Chase, and they’ll do everything in their power to capture their prey. But once they do, the game is over, their interest is no longer piqued and they move on to the next challenge. And the number one thing that stops The Chase in its tracks? Casual sex. Unfortunately, ladies, we’ve been duped. Men don’t actually like slutty women. I’ve asked them! They’re not into us if, the moment we meet them, we tell about our sexual prowess or favourite sexual positions or what we’d like to do back at their place. Stop being desperate, girl, and remember what a Wonder Woman would do: keep him wondering. Before we delve into how the Casanova you just had sex with views that night—and how he now

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views you—let’s take a quick trip back in time to when casual sex popped up on the sexual menu. It was around the time of the invention of the Pill in the 1960s, when Helen Gurley Brown—editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine and author of the zeitgeist-deﬁning tome Sex and the Single Girl—told her readers that a woman should be able to have sex like a man. That women should be liberated, take control of their own bodies and learn to fuck and ﬂee just like the gents had been doing for centuries. Germaine Greer quickly jumped onto the go-girl band-wagon, enthusing that, yes, sex should be about the physical and not the emotional. She concurred that women shouldn’t be so bloody possessive about their conquests and should lighten the hell up!
#17. WONDER WOMAN TIP: Who cares what feminism dictates? If it doesn’t suit you, and there’s a very real chance you might fall into the obsessed-withthis-man-now category, don’t do it!

As you can imagine, single women were overjoyed, tossing out their vibrators by the bucketload and putting their booty buddy on speed dial. (Okay, so they didn’t have iPhones back then, but you get the picture.) ‘Finally!’ the women rejoiced. ‘We can have sex like men without all the emotional hoo-ha that comes along with it.’

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Unfortunately, the men quickly and gleefully caught on to this newfound mantra, and used it to their maximum advantage. Now I know what you’re thinking: But men tell me they love it when women take charge of their sexuality! Or, But he said I was different! And my favourite: He said he only wanted to cuddle but things just got out of hand! I’m sure they did. Because that was his aim. Men are notorious for saying or doing anything it takes to get you into bed. And I mean anything. And while they might pretend they’ll like you more if you hop into bed with them, or respect you more if you give them the best blow job of their lives, the truth is that the next day it’s an entirely different, nonsexually charged ball-game.

The slut test
Ever heard of the ‘slut test’? Neither had I. Until the men I interviewed enlightened me. The slut test is a little experiment men use to see whether or not a woman they’ve just met could be considered a longterm prospect or not. They use it when they decide to try to sleep with you within twenty-four hours of meeting you. If you give in, then they’ve gotten laid. If you don’t, you’re considered PGM (potential girlfriend material). Still don’t believe me? Think that it’s okay to do it just this once because the guy’s promised that he

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won’t turn off you afterwards like you’re a bag of rotten bananas? Think again. Especially if you utter the proverbial ‘Oh, I never do this sort of thing—you’re special’ line while tossing your shoes onto his ﬂoor and ﬂinging yourself onto his mattress. Because while a man might pretend that he’s into casual sex, the truth is that all men do the slut test, which is a win-win situation for them. If you fail the test, he gets laid, and you get put into the slut category. If you pass the test and he doesn’t get laid he thinks you might be all right and then he’ll decide whether to take you out on an actual date. Now bear in this mind, ladies: NOT having casual sex with him doesn’t guarantee that he’s going to want a relationship with you. It just means that if he’s completely uninterested in you after you refuse to get your gear off, then he was only after one thing. And by not giving it to him, you’ve saved yourself a whole lot of heartache and tears. If he only wanted one thing to start with, giving it to him is the worst-case scenario. But by not giving it to him? You’ve just conﬁrmed what you might have suspected. Be thankful that you were able to realise this quickly enough and move on.
#18. WARNING: Men are doing the slut test on you from the moment they meet you—don’t fail it!

My newly single male friend Dane says that his last relationship taught him an invaluable lesson: ‘No

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matter what a woman says—never, ever date a chick who sleeps with you on the ﬁrst date. Ever.’ Despite being in the throes of a vitriolic break-up (which has turned him into a nervous wreck) Dane kindly explains that when a woman sleeps with a man on the ﬁrst date, the beginning of the relationship is ﬁlled with sparks, chemistry and a load of sexy time between the sheets. After that horizontal high wears off though, the relationship quickly goes south. ‘There is no foundation to lean on when the fantasy wears off,’ he tells me. ‘Which is never a healthy or fun situation to ﬁnd yourself in. Even if you’re a guy.’ Now considering we’re all modern femmes who don’t adhere to such rules any longer, I asked him to elaborate so I could share his thoughts with women who aren’t exactly sure about what stance to take. ‘I don’t really know,’ he answered. ‘Something’s just different when you know she’s probably done it with dozens of guys before you.’

How to pass the slut test with ﬂying colours
• Ignore sleazy advances when you’re out at a club— know that you’re too good for that. Those types of men are prowling the place for one thing and one thing only. You don’t want to be that girl, do you? Never go home with a guy you just met simply

•

or you think this guy might be ‘the one’ and you don’t want to mess it up by making him wait. Make sure it’s what you want—and that you’re aware of the repercussions. go home with him too soon. Pass the test and you might get a follow-up phone call. And the oxytocin effect. Instead you’ll end up chasing a man who doesn’t want to have anything to do with you. Why put yourself through that? Stop thinking about the instant gratiﬁcation of casual sex. always going to be a test. you can never change a bad boy. You’ll only fall into his trap. If a man has a reputation for being a bad boy and is notorious for using and tossing aside women like a used piece of chewing gum. failing the test. You’ll mess it up even worse by sleeping with him. there’s always. don’t bother getting to know him no matter how much of a smooth operator he is. Remember. and be shoved into the slut category quicker than he can call you a cab after the deed is done. No matter how charming or persuasive he’s being. Don’t go for the candy sex just because it’s been a while.
•
•
•
. Fail the test and there’s no doubt you won’t hear from him again. Know that despite what the guy may say. it’s all just a test. becoming obsessed with him and then entering stalker territory in an attempt to get him interested in you. Even the sanest of women can morph into a desperado at the drop of her Bonds underwear.44
The Chase because you think that’s what he expects.

women are hot-wired to be attracted to a bloke who can ‘invest in parenthood’. who told Vanity Fair magazine a few years ago that he was hanging up his bad-boy persona as he was ready to get married and have children. sans his T-shirt!
Unfortunately. most men have sex on their minds. ‘If I went to a party tonight and bumped into a fantastic girl—whereas three years ago it might have
. So how do they woo you into the sack? What tricks of the trade do they employ?
#19. Take actor Hugh Grant. Therefore they’ll let almost nothing stop them from ﬁnding someone to do it with. Even if they have to fake their interest. if a man mentions marriage. babies or commitment within moments of meeting you.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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What men will do/say/ purchase to get you into bed
Whether he’s a nice guy or a bad boy. it’s supposed to get your pheromones going faster than spotting Hugh Jackman at the beach. bachelors the world over have discovered the charm and appeal of mentioning to a woman they’ve just met that their goal is to start a family. MAN PICK-UP ALERT: The Breeder Tactic: Biologically. Hence.

You and I have so much in common! Want to get out of here and go somewhere less noisy? I promise I’ll behave. God. after posing bare-chested while cradling a baby. Want to come to my place later? Want to watch a DVD together tonight? Want to come over and chill? Invite me over! We have great chemistry. I just need to get something from my place on the way to the next club.’ he quipped. Want to fuck? Are you on the Pill?
. I love your accent. Then there’s male model Adam Perry. . I just want to spoon. It’s so boring. Do you mind coming up? Let’s skip all the formal dinner shenanigans.46
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led to a short-term relationship—now I deﬁnitely keep my thoughts open to the idea of settling down and breeding. Did I mention you’re hot? Great rack. who. . But talk of family values isn’t the only warning sign you need to look out for . Here are some lines men have disclosed to me that they will use to get YOU into bed: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I don’t want to sleep with you. you’re so hot. became so popular that he went on to sleep with a whopping 3000 women.

making the woman he’s just bonked less attractive and less desirable. of course. less desirable and it’s less likely you’re ever going to hear from him again. stand your ground and don’t get sucked into his game. A man’s dopamine levels drop so dramatically that suddenly you—the person he’s just bonked—are seen as less attractive.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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• •
My roommates have locked me out—do you mind if I stay at your place till they come home? We’re having an after party at my place tonight. Unless. which means it’s less likely that he’s going to call her in the morning. After sex. You should come. a man’s dopamine levels drop dramatically. Don’t get duped into thinking he feels the same way after the deed as you do. Did you hear me? I think this statement—which should become your new mantra—deserves a repeat. you made the effort to actually date the dude before you hopped into the sack with him. He doesn’t.
After-sex reactions
Men and women have vastly different chemical reactions to sex. The
. WONDER WOMAN TIP: Stick to your principles.
#20. Women experience the opposite effect.

When it comes to a man’s biological reﬂexes. He’s won The Chase. and now he’s completely and entirely OVER the whole thing. is the reason so many women suggest men get into Tantric sex so they don’t need to orgasm at all!) Once she’s done. Add to that the fact that studies2 have been done that prove a single man’s testosterone levels are much higher than those of a married man and it’s easy to see why casual sex should be nowhere near your sexual menu. No matter how many
. Once he’s done. You just want to cuddle. leading us to believe we’re more in love and attached to the man we’ve just slept with than we were before the deed. his brain is telling him that he’s got what he wanted. he’s tired and needs his rest. (Which. apparently.48
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increased oestrogen released during sex increases the effects of oxytocin in our brain. you’re now just another notch on his belt. No matter how good you were in bed. she wants to bond. or what he said to make you stay for pancakes. AFTER SEX WARNING: MEN WANT TO GET RID OF YOU AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE His dopamine levels have dropped. Including you. he’s caught his prey. No wonder he never called.
#21. And have his babies. he wants to go to sleep and then get rid of the woman as quickly as possible.

And then the relationship will ﬁzzle out quickly. Let the other ﬂoozy sleep with him instead.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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times you made him come. unless you have more testosterone in your body than the average male. some other girl will’ or ‘He’ll dump me if I don’t have sex with him right away’. This doesn’t happen every single time without fail. He doesn’t give a toss. don’t get me wrong. But in all my years of writing my column. Or work. Or sleep. Now. No matter how loudly you yelled when you had your multiple orgasms. I never heard a single man say that the woman who jumped in the cab home with him after a night out turned out to be ‘the one’. He’s thinking about the rugby. And then he’ll begin to have his doubts. because you should have more self-respect. pride and self-esteem than that. ladies. Because I guarantee that in a few days’ time—or even a few hours after they’ve done the dirty—she’ll be tossed out the
. He might even introduce her to his friends. I don’t want to hear any more about it. Or pizza.’ many of them say. he might date her for a little while. ‘Act like a prostitute and we’ll think of you as one. But the inevitable thought. Yes. And then he’ll begin to pull back. So. There are exceptions to the rule. Don’t even try to use some pathetic excuse like ‘If I don’t sleep with him tonight. She slept with me so easily—how many other guys has she done this with? will creep back into his mind sooner or later.

I went back to his place after we had a few drinks at a bar. .
Just-the-tip Sex (JTTS)
DICTIONARY ALERT: JTTS: Sex with a man that involves ‘everything but’ going the full monty. you’re highly mistaken. Any time bodily ﬂuids are swapped.
. the same consequences will occur.
Ever heard the expression ‘just the tip’? Or ‘we did everything but’? This is terminology used to explain the fact that although you were desperate to have sex with a man. ‘I met a guy that I felt fairly comfortable with. if you made him come. and we ripped off all our clothes. Take Kendell’s story. it might prevent all the chemical reactions described above from taking place. And you—the girl who held out—will still be under consideration as a long-term prospect. secreted or leaked. Newsflash: it’s just the same to him . or soon thereafter. I told him I wasn’t going to sleep with him and he told me that was okay. you decided that you’d do ‘everything but’ the penetration.50
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door. You rationalised that if you keep the actual sex out of the equation. But if you think you’re safe from the usual casual sex repercussions by doing ‘everything but’ on the ﬁrst date. If this guy happens to be what you’re after. .

It was fantastic. that you’ve been coerced into bed. ‘When a woman gave me a blow job the other night in the bathroom at a club. they have an orgasm. If they have an orgasm.’ True to Kendell’s misgivings. As my friend Patrick explained. regardless of how they got there. . The Chase was over. the feeling that you’ve been duped. it was no different to if she’d slept with me. . but just to let you know: men don’t really see you giving them a blow job as any different to you having sex with them. Everyone has their own standards of how far they’re willing to go and when. so don’t!
The conga-line theory
The worst parts about casual sex are the unreturned text messages.
. the guy didn’t make nearly the same effort he had been making before the mistaken JTTS. callously dumped and are now just another notch on his belt. I still ruined the mystery.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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I really liked him so we did “everything but” anyway. lied to.’
#22. I still see her in the same light. WARNING: BLOW JOBS AREN’T PARTY FAVOURS— giving them out isn’t going to make a man fall in love with you any sooner . but I can’t help feeling that even though we didn’t have sex.

a successful television producer. he’s already onto the third or fourth woman since you. and maintain that it’s just that there’s a shortage of nice guys out there available for the picking. That you do indeed have a shot. I often tell women that the reason a man hasn’t called after sex is most likely because he’s actually having sex with someone else the next night. until a few years ago. honey. No such luck. was in a committed long-term relationship and contemplating proposing to the
. everything is going to be okay and the guy in question is still going to think of you as a long-term prospect. And by the time you decide to call him. Patrick is twenty-nine. So I decided to interview one such nice guy to ﬁnd out which of us is right. who. I call it the ‘congaline theory’. That you should shout it out from the rooftops that he could be ‘the one’ and you’d like to introduce him to your folks because he got your juices going and you shared an intimate moment with him. CONGA-LINE THEORY: He’s not ignoring you—he’s just busy having sex with someone else. I’d love to tell you that if you do give it up too soon. to dispel this myth.
Many women refuse to believe me.52
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I’d love to be able to tell you that this isn’t the case.
#23.

’ When I ask him for a description of his week. having dinner at same restaurant. 10 am: Wake up hungover. ‘But I’ve never lied to get a woman into bed. twenty-seven. I go home and have sex with Girl #1. Saturday. ‘Women think I’m an asshole because I don’t text them back or take them out for dinner.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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woman he’d dubbed the ‘love of his life’. That didn’t work out. I kick out Girl #1. 2 pm: Meet Girl #1 walking on the street. Friday. and now it’s a very different man sitting in front of me smoking a cigarette as he regales the past week’s schedule of sexual antics. She is gorgeous. 9 pm: Take Girl #1 for dinner and drinks. I put my number on her scooter. he told me this: Patrick’s sexual schedule Wednesday. I’m actually a really nice. honest guy. She believes me. After she leaves. And I’ve never promised anything beyond that. depending on which way you look at it. I tell Girl #2 that I’m at a work dinner. I call Girl #2 and she invites me to her place. I bump into Girl #2. Life for him has reached a new sexual peak—or a nadir. She calls later that day. She agrees. who I had sex with last week.
.’ he says. I ask her for dinner on Friday night.

Shortly afterwards she leaves. 11 am: Wake up with a hangover in Girl #4’s bed. but I’ve had some time to think about it. Sunday. While she’s doing it. she stops and tells me she’s been thinking and she doesn’t want to be like every other girl.54
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Saturday. 3 pm: Watch a DVD at Girl #2’s place.’ I text back: ‘You think too much. We go to the bathroom together and she gives me a blow job. so we go back to her place. Saturday. I tell her she thinks too much. Sunday. We have sex. I laugh and tell her I just want to spoon anyway.’ Text back: ‘What are you on about? We saw each other on Saturday and everything was ﬁne?’ She replies: ‘Yes.’
. I ask her if she wants to get out of there. And I don’t like it. 3 am: Girl #4 is ﬂirting with me at a club. 10 am: Get a text message from Girl #2: ‘I don’t have time for people who have work dinners with strange women on Friday nights at 9 pm. Wednesday. We spoon for two minutes and then we have sex. I am desperate to get the hell out of there and go home to a warm shower and put on clean clothes. She tells me she’s there speciﬁcally to see me. 10 pm: At the club I spot Girl #3. Instead she asks me if I want to meet her for lunch the following day. Goodbye. We have kissed before. She tells me she likes me. She obliges but says she doesn’t want to have sex.

I just want to give you a hug.’ I don’t reply. You’re better than that. Don’t become a number in his conga line. 2 am: I am out with Girl #1. 12 pm: Wake up alone. I want to go home.
. Saturday. We have sex. I wonder if we’ll ever get back together. alone. satisﬁed and content. She comes over. And then I ﬁnd myself thinking about my ex-girlfriend—the one who was the love of my life. What does this tell us? Stop being the desperate girl who’ll end up as just another notch on his belt. Go to bed. I give her a call. So. To see if I can break her. She tells me she has a present for me: ‘I bought you a pack of M&Ms. Sunday. 8 pm: Can’t stop thinking about Girl #2. The one I dated for four years before all this nonsense.’ Respond: ‘It’s 2 am.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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Thursday. he’ll see you as just another slut. If you sleep with him on the ﬁrst night. I am tired of all these women so I switch off my phone. but it’s true. It sucks. ladies.’ She texts again: ‘I want to see you. She has given me a challenge and now I am eager to chase her. I get a text from Girl #4.

In fact. . . ‘I’m on the challenge and can’t have any temptations!’ Sufﬁce to say. and the time before. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. after a successful date with a bloke she’d been pursuing. quite the opposite! Think of this as a boot camp for your mind. I’m not saying you can’t have fun and enjoy yourself for the next thirty days.’ One girlfriend who I put on the challenge told me how. we’ve all experienced that horror moment where we ﬁnd ourselves yet again pining for a guy we’ve slept with once and never seen again and realise this is exactly what happened last time we met a guy. So this is my personal solution to all those casual-sex-cycle woes—the 30-Day No Casual Sex Challenge. body and soul.56
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The No Casual Sex Challenge!
Ladies. the man didn’t give up on wooing and romancing her. which is exactly the aim! Another woman wrote in to tell me that she cancelled a date with a man who she suspected was
No Casual Sex Challenge
. As Lucille Ball once said: ‘Love yourself ﬁrst and everything else falls into line.’ she said to him. she refused to let him come up to her apartment when he dropped her home. I am sick to death of seeing my single girlfriends getting caught up in relationships that are going nowhere and yet they can’t give up on the cad simply because they’ve swapped a few bodily ﬂuids with him. go on. ‘You’ll have to turn your car around now .

. No pressure or worry about when to have sex. Ah yes. mission accomplished. exclusive relationship that’s been going for a month or more. Able to discover when a guy really is into you. photocopy the 30-day No Casual Sex contract in this book (or you can email me at asksambrett@gmail.com).
No Casual Sex Challenge
only interested in getting into her pants. sign it. Anyone is eligible to take the challenge. put it up on your wall or on your bathroom mirror and read it every day. as long as you’re not in a committed. which meant that she successfully saved herself heartache. No longer being considered as a ‘booty call’.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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What you can expect as your reward
• • • • • • To be taken on a proper date without any expectations at the end of the night. Possibly ﬁnding true love. No wasting your time on a guy who isn’t into you. To get the ball rolling. disappointment and that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise you’ve slept with a cad who doesn’t give two hoots about you.

loyal. Signed: _____________________________________ The Single Female _____________________________________ The Witness Date: _______________________________
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SAMANTHA BRETT’S 30-DAY NO CASUAL SEX CONTRACT
I. the Single Female. ______________________. boss or subordinate at work. kind-hearted man who is worthy of my affections. I am beginning my 30 days of celibacy in order to attract a decent. This includes: • Ex-boyfriends • Celebrities • Anyone in a rock band • Anyone I meet at a bar • Any man who calls me after 10 pm for a booty call • Any man who tells me he loves me on the ﬁrst date • Any man who says he’ll lose interest unless I sleep with him • A man who’s read The Game by Neil Strauss and agrees with it • My personal trainer. web developer. do hereby agree to abstain from having casual sex for 30 days with any man that I am not in a committed. I hereby acknowledge that failure to abide by these rules will result in me being used for my body. I hereby agree that by signing this contract. monogamous relationship with. getting my heart broken and obsessing over some guy who’s just not that into me.

Days 5–10
Spend some time nourishing your soul. go to that place or participate in that activity and experience that feeling.TH E CA SU A L SE X CO N
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The 30-day No Casual Sex Program
Day 1
Use all those hours that you would be wasting thinking about a man to reﬂect on yourself instead. It may be as simple as walking down to your
30-day No Casual Sex Program
. The aim is to work out where your soul feels most connected. Over the next week. Put the list underneath your mattress.This requires you to sit down in a quiet space with your favourite music on your iPod and come up with a list of qualities that you want in a man. Do something nice for yourself: get a massage.
Days 2–4
Write your ‘Ideal Man List’ (see Chapter 6). Go into a quiet space (without your iPod) and picture yourself at a time when you felt most happy and at peace. at peace and valued. have a facial. So it can seep into your subconscious as you sleep. Maybe it was in a certain place or doing a certain activity. read a book you’ve been putting off.

Day 30
Gather together a bunch of girlfriends and participate in a FEMALE-FRIENDLY activity. Or taking a trip to Paris!
Day 11
Schedule in one day a week to meet a different girlfriend for drinks at fun places.60
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neighbourhood park every afternoon with your favourite novel and turning off your mobile phone for an hour. go on dates and have a ball. Or catching up with an old friend that you haven’t seen in a while. follow through on things you otherwise would have put off because you were busy thinking about a man you slept with too soon who hadn’t called. That means no men! Talk about your newfound power and make a pact never again to put yourself in a position where you become a desperate.
30-day No Casual Sex Program
Days 12–29
Live your life the way you want to live it. You’re in control now!
. forlorn singleton waiting for a man to call. jaded. Call them up and book them in. Dare to dream. Or taking up yoga. catch up with your friends.

A Cautionary Tale: Poppy
Party girls are a thing.
. . slutty women are all seen as ‘candy’ to men. and if one man wasn’t satisfying her partying urge. until you give up your hard partying ways . A small subset of women so beautiful—and God. she usually
#24. You’re just not the marrying type . they can and do have sex like a man without it really affecting their psyches. then tossing them aside like a piece of old chewing gum. they’ll date you. don’t they know it—that they’re able to play men like a ﬁddle. . They’ll never take you seriously (or so the men told me). While the men usually view these women like ‘candy’. she’d simple move on to the next. both mentally and sexually. floozies. . a quick ﬁx to their egotistical sexual woes. Poppy Belle was a self-proclaimed party girl. But they’ll never take you home to meet their mum. Yes. These types of women are so sexually conﬁdent. fuck you. . getting them to fall in love with her. She knew how to manoeuvre men like pawns on a chessboard and was a master at picking them up. MEN AND THE CANDY GIRL THEORY: Party girls. And since she could have her pick of the bunch. maybe even wine and dine you.

He wined and dined her. to play his cards right. He had a slick crop of greying hair. just this once. Poppy was always one step ahead of these men. and so. After all. and ﬂirted with his friends. she had just turned thirty. despite his age. She wanted Mr Right Now. calling Poppy ‘trash’. which he usually clothed in a leather jacket and torn denims. She’d hardly taken any notice of him when her agent had introduced them at some red-carpet cocktail party. Still. she knew all about types like the Producer that Jane had got herself into such a funk over. tanned gold-ﬂecked skin that was more Positano than Venice Beach. until Doug came along. Doug did
. Poppy was informed by her agent that Doug was heir to a billionaire fortune. toned body. The minute they started dating. and wasn’t going to wait around forever for Mr Right. When Doug introduced Poppy to his waspish mother and she turned up her nose. which was often difﬁcult to ﬁnd considering she was a statuesque six feet tall. Doug had a slim. So he decided. more sophisticated date. famous or had something she wanted. he was attractive in that George Clooneyesque way. she decided to try him out. supported her and doted on her. newer.62
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only went for men who were wealthy. she’d thought. Doug revelled in the fact that his friends were impressed by his new arm-candy. That was. A bit stiff. She fucked and blew him as often as he requested. and he was a little taller than her. Since Poppy had dated so many men. on her agent’s recommendation. He liked the status that came with being the media darling’s older. Just to make him happy.

It’s never going to work. there’s no point in continuing things further. yet she refused to take a step back from her extravagant lifestyle. She waited for his response. While he might seem sweet. ‘I don’t really believe in love. his own luxury yacht and could give her the jet-set lifestyle she’d always dreamed of. ambition and non-caring attitude. . but he simply shrugged his shoulders.’ And he cupped her breasts and made love to her again. She realised that he was weak. Don’t drag this one out—you’ll only get burned . The bills were pouring in. and had dated the who’s who of eligible bachelors (including one A-list actor who’d got her front-page headlines for all the wrong reasons). after they’d had sex on his yacht.
#25. look after you and support you. he had a waterfront apartment. Poppy became more and more attached to Doug. she was still struggling to stay on her feet. passive and no match for her feisty nature.’ he said.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : PO PPY
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nothing to make Poppy feel more comfortable. she told him she loved him. After all. cherish you. doting and loving. Gradually. Because even though Poppy was a successful model who hobnobbed with the likes of Paris Hilton and Richard Branson. Poppy didn’t really care. but she stuck around. One balmy summer evening. ‘But you’re fun. if he’s not going to stick up for you. MEN WITHOUT BACKBONE: Dating a man without a backbone is like going on a diet that involves eating chocolate cake for lunch.
. .

walk away. Yes. there were handbags that needed to be purchased. she’d make it work. At the airport she told Doug how she felt. famous. she was elated. True to his word. but this was a chance of a lifetime.’ he said.
. And I want to know you feel the same way about me. Maybe this could work. leaving her a trail of saccharinesweet messages.’ ‘Of course I do. He kissed her on her neck and promised he’d call her everyday while she was gone. If you’re not being treated the way you deserve. he did. She knew she’d miss Doug terribly. A public front that she needed to keep up. Botox to be paid for. Princess. successful.
#26. good-looking or fun he is to hang around with—is worth a broken heart. she thought.64
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When Poppy got a call from her agent telling her that she was to front a new advertising campaign for a high-end perfume. CANDY GIRL WARNING: Don’t be blinded by your own ego to see the situation for what it is. No man—no matter how wealthy. The only catch? It was to be shot in Fiji over two weeks. ‘I love you. After all.

They can discover everything except the obvious. children.3
Candy Girls: Why you’re not seen as worthy prey
I’ve yet to be on a campus where most women weren’t worrying about some aspect of combining marriage.
Oscar Wilde
. and a career.
Gloria Steinem
Women have a wonderful instinct about things. I’ve yet to find one where many men were worrying about the same thing.

. Says Neave: ‘It goes back to the key differences which have developed between the sexes since men were hunter-gatherers and women were childbearers . evolution dictates that it’s quite the opposite: women are pre-programmed to need men. women and their offspring were prone to being the victims of predators. ladies. and violence. either through their sheer physicality or the strength of their personality.’4
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‘But I need a man!’
Neediness is by far the biggest male turn-off.’3 Hence women have always been drawn to strong men. in prehistoric times. hair extensions and way too much fake tan—you get the picture . That’s right. then needing a man is unavoidable because it stems from our primeval urges. . Despite Irina Dunn’s infamous premise that ‘A woman needs a man like a ﬁsh needs a bicycle’.You no longer have to feel guilty about your everlasting quest to nab yourself a decent man. ‘They needed the support and protection of men who didn’t just have brute force but also had social status in the group. You can now blame your DNA instead! If the thesis of evolutionary psychologist Dr Nick Neave is anything to go by. . Females are smaller and weaker than males so. farting. . That’s why women still look for a mate of higher social standing. aside from nagging.

the new breed of freemales (as they are so dubbed by the media) purport to do wonderfully without a man to hold their hand. that all the decent ones are either married or gay.’
#27. and so
. watch their favourite chick ﬂick and ﬂirt. But I’m happier with one. and if he wants to be part of your brilliant life.CA NDY GIRLS
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No matter how glamorous Carrie Bradshaw et al make single life look. And sure. NEVER under any circumstances relay this little fact to him. While you can admit to yourself you need a man. Men know we all think there’s a single man shortage. ﬂirt as much as their single heart desires. Men don’t like to think you’ve got this grand plan that they need to slot into. but to ﬁnd a man and to hang on to him for dear life. the female primeval priority is not to clock up a wardrobe of Jimmy Choos. they can devour ice-cream in bed. True. if he plays HIS cards right. But perhaps ultimately it comes down to what singer Cher once said: ‘I don’t need a man. ﬂirt. according to the men I interviewed. CANDY GIRL WARNING: DON’T BE NEEDY. you MAY let him in. buy them ﬂowers or stand beside them and hold their handbag on the red carpet. modern women have gone mad. You are breezy and beautiful.
While I’m telling you that it’s okay to admit to needing a man (albeit to yourself only).

’ ‘But what happened to our freedom to be who we want to be?’ I hear you scoff. ‘Men get laid. the damaged goods syndrome. do it like a man and be unafraid to say what we want?’ Unfortunately for us. hot. Hence he can do what he wants. hot property. all in the name of tough love. and hordes of women will still fall hopelessly at his feet when he declares he’s horny.68
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a single man about town who doesn’t live with his mum or have a criminal record is hot. And the men aren’t reacting warmly to it. if not more of these categories. and nothing more. the party girl. bad boys and toxic types who are looking for nothing more than a quick pash and dash. I’ve seen it all too often: gorgeous. ‘What happened to our right to talk about sex. the slut and the alpha female. but women get screwed. And while all of us would probably ﬁt into one. Candy Girl behaviour is easy to slip into. the minute a man lays eyes on any of these personality traits—no matter how taut her butt is or waxed her bits are or how good she is at going down on him—he’s going to take it for exactly what it is: a quick bite of candy. I’m even compelled to support Quentin Crisp’s theory that.
. when he wants. That’s why I’m going to share with you my Candy Girl warnings. There’s the Bridget Jones Clone. smart women with fabulous careers wasting all their time courting players.

‘There. Don’t do it. Case in point is this tale from journalist and single man-about-town Gareth Sibson.CA NDY GIRLS
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Candy Girl I: The Bridget Jones Clone
The BJC is the type of woman men abhor. He couldn’t believe that a thirty-something woman who claimed to be independent and said her life didn’t revolve around ﬁnding Mr Right was behaving like a
#28.’ he said. she’d repeatedly written her ﬁrst name and my surname. On his third date with a woman he was mildly getting into. Figuring they were no longer strangers. but so many women tend to become—a sex-crazed ﬂoozy desperately vying for the attention of any man as long as he earns a decent salary. he took a peek at it while she was getting ready in the other room. in blue ink. Gareth stumbled across a notebook lying on her kitchen table. unless you want to lose your guy in less than ten days. CANDY GIRL WARNING: Under no circumstances are you to EVER freak out a man by talking about marriage. looks a little like Jake Gyllenhaal and isn’t a serial killer. What he found shocked him. babies or commitment on the first date—or even within the first SIX MONTHS of dating.
.

If the right girl comes along.
. who insists on telling every ﬁrst date that she wants to get married and have two babies within the next three years. ‘He will always have other plans until you prove that you’re worthy enough to be part of them. the truth is. ‘But what if he has other goals and I don’t ﬁnd out till it’s too late?’ she said. at least until she’d been dating a man for three months or more. I urged her to try keeping her longterm plan in her panties. And you’ll be kicked to the curb before you know it. I admire modern women who speak their minds.’ I explained. What the hell has happened to us women? How have so many if us got lost. stumbled off the maleattracting radar and right into scary-woman territory? Take the example of my friend Elle. they’ll see it as ambush tactics. men aren’t going to respond to those kinds of demands out of fear that you’re going to be the type of woman to rule their lives with an iron stiletto.70
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ﬁfth-grader. You’re ruining their Chase. However. Instead of Gareth ﬁnding her scribblings ﬂattering. he saw them as a sign of desperation. On the ﬁrst date! The men all freak. as to be expected. know what they want and ditch a bloke whose life goals aren’t in sync with their own. When Elle came to me wondering why the heck she could never get a second date. ‘Men manage their lives on a case-by-case basis. But if you push too soon.’ Don’t get me wrong. all their other plans go out the window and they make room for her.

The funniest part is that she didn’t even mention to him that she wanted to get married—he ﬁgured it out all on his own. he might be the one to run to you.CA NDY GIRLS
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When Elle went on another ﬁrst date and held back from divulging her three-year plan. ‘He’s asked me out again!’ she told me excitedly. on pushing him to have kids. The main problem with Bridget clones is that they’re still trying to live their lives like people on television instead of ﬁnding out who they are. An Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly type. he’s recently popped the question. seeing it as an archaic pre-feminist relic. you just want to take things slow.’—Marc ‘Stop being desperate to ﬁnd and impress a bloke because desperation can be smelled a mile off. The up-front Sex and the City type woman is what men who want one-night stands look for. Get a
. is what modern men are going for these days. Being true to yourself and being honest but not exploitative will win a man’s heart. And that’s exactly what you want to happen. she was amazed at the results. six months on. but perhaps if we hold off on pressuring a guy into a relationship. I know some women might scoff at this advice.
From the Male Room
‘I think women have forgotten how to be ladies. but if you’re an everyday bloke. who is ﬂirtatious but cautious. And.

but a man is never going to introduce the party girl to his folks. ‘He treats me differently from everyone else. but I often get phone calls from these types of women lamenting that despite the fact she slept with him knowing he has commitment issues and a secret girlfriend waiting innocently and unsuspectingly in the wings. The party girl is the one who always ends up at the bad boy’s house. nothing more.’ she’ll tell me. albeit a little too early in the union. Party girls are addicted to the drama a bad boy gives her. his boss or any member of his inner circle.
. She’s great as a temporary handbag for the night. she still fell into his trap. She claims she owns her own sexuality and therefore can have sex like a man without emotional attachment.72
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Candy Girl II: The party girl
She might be fun for a one-night ﬂing. He’s like a sugar rush. The party girl’s different to the BJC in that she wholly believes she is 100 per cent in control of the situation the entire time. And then he’ll call and she’ll act like he’s the last man on the planet. That is until the bad boy gets underneath her skin. and if you’re interesting and fun enough a nice one might come along.

desperate. most of them are a fuck and chuck. But the problems start when the party girl awakes alone in her bed aged thirty plus after her bad boy has cheated on her and hasn’t paid back the money she lent him. A woman over thirty—she has become jaded. If they’re thirty. sits on her throne expectantly. If the guy is over thirty and he wants to start a family.CA NDY GIRLS
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True. set in her ways. 3. . . not a loosened-up thirty-year-old. they’re most likely damaged/used goods unless they came out of a convent.’—Cretin
. materialistic. and is full of expectation. with very little time for you. you should never consider marrying the following: 1. and is looking for the next “excitement”. A party girl—she has seen and done all . 2. . Basically. has emotional baggage.
From the Male Room
‘Men don’t marry these party girls. then do it with a young twenty-something. which may include leaving you.’—John ‘My fellow men . and there is plenty to learn from her. the party girl often carries out The Chase to perfection. . A career woman—too focused on assets. It’s then she realises that the partying game is over and she’s not sure how to turn things around.

In life. . seems a pretty obvious one to me. . it invariably comes up in conversation when men are sitting around
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Candy Girl III: Damaged goods syndrome
There’s a vicious term doing the rounds on Planet Dating that is getting single women in a tizzy. . Even though I’m thirty-three I have more twenty-year-olds interested than ever so if I’m going to have a party girl (especially given they age pretty quickly) I may as well have her when she’s looking her best. An ex-party girl at thirty doesn’t seem to offer too much that others haven’t already taken when she was in her prime. you reap what you sow . I think I’d prefer someone much cleaner than a used and abused party girl. just wishful thinking on her part). Don’t know why so many women don’t learn this lesson a lot sooner. and then decides she wants to settle down with a “nice marrying type” . Sexist. She’s spent her twenties dating bad boys and players (ie guys that were great-looking and/or wealthy and gave her a great time but would never take her seriously. highly insulting and downright rude. .

Shag the wrong bloke. One male friend deﬁnes DGS as ‘anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship before you start dating them’ (which pretty much describes the majority of the thirty-something population!). Another deﬁnes DGS as ‘a woman who has been married before. While men refuse to date women they perceive to be suffering from damaged goods syndrome (DGS) many of us are left mightily confused as to what exactly the term means. While a man will give himself permission to shag. and with divorce rates reaching 50 per cent of all marriages. A third says it’s ‘any woman who’s been dumped. women have been having sex without the burdens of marriage. has kids. get knocked up or make the decision to have kids sans a ring on your ﬁnger and suddenly you’re stuck with the unshakable DGS label. The phrase I’m talking about is ‘damaged goods’. still talks to her ex and is cynical about men’. emotions or monogamy. abused or cheated on’. you’d be hard-pressed to ﬁnd someone who hasn’t already walked down the aisle
. he won’t give women any leeway for even the slightest sexual indiscretion. date and dump anything in a skirt as many times as his heart desires. Having kids without getting married is no longer considered taboo. It’s all a bit unfair really.CA NDY GIRLS
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a poker table after one too many beers have been consumed. Which all seems odd considering that since the Pill arrived in the 1960s.

#29. CANDY GIRL TIP: The Chase is all about NOT laying your cards on the table in a needy way. You’re worth it no matter how many suitcases you carry!
Think of the latest Hollywood single mums who can indeed date.76
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once. I was surprised by the number of men who responded. Whether you have baggage or not. despite the fact they are potential ‘damaged
. But when I put the topic up on my column. you are damaged goods. be divorced and have more baggage than Posh Spice boarding a ﬂight to LA and yet if we act breezy and in-the-moment. if you mention your ex on multiple occasions within your ﬁrst three dates.’ While this might seem a little harsh and slightly unfair (considering most people have been burnt by a nasty ex). it’s likely men will be attracted to us regardless of the baggage we carry. showing just how widespread the DGS concept is. shag and be damn hot while they’re doing it. the fact of the matter is that we could have two kids. We call it as it is. rather than focusing on our sordid past. For example: ladies. One male reader. BeniBonanza. he doesn’t need to hear you harp on and on about it. wrote: ‘Men can sense a woman with lots of baggage and thus refer to her as damaged goods.

It’s obvious! If you feel you are damaged goods.
. . The same girlfriend stated she didn’t wish to be a Saturdaynight-only girlfriend. I think women—celebrity and real—are selling their sex appeal before their maternal instincts. Over time I thought. .
From the Male Room
‘My last girlfriend always reminded me that she didn’t want to be the “get over girl” and yet the constant reminder of it somehow proved it to be true. She gave me a two–three times/ nights a week minimum visitation order. don’t portray it. thirty and single. . no-one is perfect!’ Amen to that. summed it up best when he said: ‘The more important part of being damaged is being too stubborn or fearful to adapt to new surroundings and new situations. a single gal. Nick. Look at Angelina Jolie—her baggage deﬁnitely hasn’t been a deterrent! As image consultant Mark Stevens told the New York Daily News: ‘Forget about the mom stuff. . I would just laugh off anyone who said I was “damaged goods”.’ On the other hand. It’s all about sex .’5 My colleague. why bother?’—OS&IDidThat2 ‘Ladies.You are not deﬁned by others. They’re not asking guys to change diapers. told me: ‘Who cares what other people think of you.CA NDY GIRLS
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goods’. Sienna. you need to take heed of this.

but as far as I’m concerned. A single mother isn’t. the better! She’ll hopefully know herself better and know what she’s looking for. and passed on to all his mates. but if she’s paranoid that you’re going to leave her like all the men before you. or desperately trying to ﬁnd a new father for her child. by default. and in fact if he is mentioned regularly while you are dating someone.’—JD ‘Being “damaged goods” isn’t about what you’ve done or who you’ve shagged. but if she’s constantly shitty with her ex and all men in general.That is such a simplistic view! It is about the attitude! Any woman who thinks that “all men are alike” is heading in the damaged direction. then she probably is.’—Shane
. or that you’re going to turn out to be a loser too. . . damaged. ladies. then she is. ‘A woman who’s been in a long-term relationship isn’t damaged by default. the more experiences a woman has had. and no-one will go near her. Hence. And the term “damaged goods” will be used. but if she’s jaded or bitter as a result. ‘I can’t speak for all men. then she is “damaged goods” and I don’t want to know her. avoid being branded DG at all costs .78
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sexy. don’t do it. and yes. Getting sloppy drunk. Your past only makes you more worldly. WONDER WOMAN LESSON: Throw out the belief that you’re inflicted with DGS and start thinking along the lines of Angelina Jolie. men are visual creatures. Many have mistaken true independence for some kind of desperate need to come across as a spanking-mad nymphomaniac in an attempt to impress their date.
Candy Girl IV: The slut
Sadly. True. it seems women no longer have any qualms about analysing oral sex over egg-white omelettes and fruit salads. pashing other women and ﬂashing your tits at a man you’ve just met all put you ﬁrmly and squarely in the Candy Girl slut category. If you’re serious about your love life. many of them are addicted to the Girls Gone Wild DVD collection. sophisticated. pashing strangers.CA NDY GIRLS
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#30. Oh. and put some clothes on!
. sexually experienced and with way more to offer than the average woman. but those kinds of women won’t keep attracting a man’s attention for long in the real world.

CANDY GIRL WARNING: Dress and act like a slut and the men will treat you as one. Those with something to rent.80
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#31.The reason for the trashy dress is that most women and men are not up for a new relationship. recovering from a damaging relationship or simply not interested.
From the Male Room
‘Slutty women are okay for a little while but the attraction never lasts. In the case where clothes are not an issue the advertisement must be made in some other fashion. If they do not put up a sign they will not get any takers.They know that the imagination is the real sex organ. lease or sell for perpetuity must advertise somehow and trashy dress is simply one means of advertising.’—John
.They are either currently in a relationship. It is like putting a For Lease sign up in the window of a shop. No matter what they pretend to be attracted to at first.’—Sahara ‘Slutty women get all the attention as they are advertising that they are available. Stockings and suspenders are worn by both—it’s what they wear over them that makes the difference. Sexy women don’t feel the need to have everything hanging out. Sexy women are attractive forever. or an unsolicited offer must be accepted. you’ll never be anything more to him than a one-night fling.

. But somehow things got misconstrued when women decided that they’d prefer to break balls in the boardroom than caress them in the bedroom. if she hits thirty and ﬁnds herself unmarried.’ author Lori Gottlieb wrote in the Atlantic Monthly. Our biological clocks may be ticking. Think of Glenn Close’s character Alex in Fatal Attraction: an independent and successful woman who is violently unstable. . ‘I go home and put my key in my door and . the alpha female concept is a whole different sexist ballgame. Or Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl. ends up with a broken marriage. no friends. but many of us are being slapped with the derogatory ‘left on the shelf ’ label. . who ends up single and alone. nothing. and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.CA NDY GIRLS
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Candy Girl V: The alpha female
Women are supposed to be in control of the dating game. who.6 Just ask supermodel-turned-media-mogul Tyra Banks. who says that while she feels as though she’s got it all when it comes to her work life. her home life paints an entirely different picture. Unfortunately for modern women.We’re supposed to be the choosers. despite all her success. ‘Every woman I know—no matter how successful and ambitious—feels panic. occasionally coupled with desperation. It seems Hollywood saw this coming.

but I’m so not intimidating. Ouch. no children.’ wrote John Schwartz of The New York Times. A British study found that while smarter men have more chance of getting married (for every 16-point increase in IQ for men. Because. the stats aren’t so good for smart women. but an ‘alpha in beta clothing’ in the bedroom. other than I’m a really bright girl full of life. the alpha female has become so focused on her career that she’s got her
. I feel so full when I’m at work but so empty when I come home.’ she says. there’s evidence to back up his hypothesis. but multiply that by a gazillion when you’re famous.’ American Idol judge Paula Abdul concurs. I admit that I’m an alpha female at work.’ The feminism mantra that promised women they could ‘have it all’ has backﬁred. their chance of marrying decreases by 40 per cent. leaving many single and lonely. ‘Men would rather marry their secretaries than their bosses.’ Tyra’s theory as to why she can’t ﬁnd a man is simple: ‘I make a good living. It’s the only way to ensure your man’s interest and ego remain intact. their marriage chances increase by 35 per cent). ‘Men are intimidated by me. I either bring out the best in men or a dark side. according to men.82
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no husband. so men my age get a little intimidated. For each 16-point increase. ‘It’s damn near impossible for a successful woman to date men who don’t earn as much. Sadly.

and let them realise that a longterm commitment to a successful woman doesn’t mean life is over. So my advice? Alpha females should quit putting the pressure on men. Men get threatened by this no matter how you put it.
#32. take the lead and be the man in the relationship. I’m merely suggesting that if you do want to settle down with a man. but don’t flash your cash.CA NDY GIRLS
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comeuppance: she’s ended up sitting alone in her chic. ALPHA FEMALE TIP: Act like an alpha in the boardroom.
. but put on your beta clothing in the bedroom or on a date. don’t bust his balls over the fact that you make more money than he does. talented and brilliant at what you do. So let them make the decisions. Let him take charge! He’ll think of you as his Wonder Woman for it. but it’s only beginning. Don’t dumb yourself down. title and prominence in the workplace either. I’m not saying you have to hide that you’re smart. expensively decorated apartment eating Chinese for one.

Ana from Belgium .Where the bloody hell was he? Why hadn’t he contacted her? She was onto her second martini while surﬁng the internet late one night in her new LA apartment where she’d recently moved. she noticed there were many of him with different women from all over the world. it was all too weird. Except for one thing. Anya from New York. she’d met great friends and she’d even been approached to write a style column for a local gossip magazine. after all. an investigative reporter. God. .The guy she liked had gone MIA. She scrolled down further through some pics of him with well-known actors until she eventually found what she was looking for: the latest tagged pic was of him pashing a woman with cropped bleached-blonde hair and wearing a midriff-baring t-shirt that came to just below the underwire
. She needed to search for clues as to what the heck had transpired.A Cautionary Tale: Jane
Jane couldn’t stop thinking about the Producer. and she was desperate for her next ﬁx. Everything was on track. He was like a drug. She was. Hence she decided to log on and check the Producer’s Facebook page. She had got her dream job as an entertainment reporter for LA’s top morning show. and what good were her investigative skills if they weren’t being put to good use in order to catch out a man? As she scrolled through his latest photos. . Everything in her career was working out perfectly. There was Ina from Scandinavia.

But it was: the tryst had taken place at the very same nightclub she’d been to with the Producer a few weeks before. Stop thinking about him.
A few nights later. George had brought along his best mate. Instead she’d called her cameraman friend George who was always up for a free beer and lived around the corner. The woman’s butt-crack was visible above her hipster acid-wash jeans (who the fuck wears acid wash jeans? Jane thought) as the girl leaned on the Producer on a couch that looked oddly familiar. . The photo was loaded up two weeks after she’d left his house. Stop chasing him. .
#33. no matter how good things were in bed.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : JAN E
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of her padded bra. Jane cursed. I thought I was different! I thought I was special! I thought .
. dejected and confused. Matt. Jane didn’t mind Matt being there—she actually needed a guy’s opinion on the matter. Not exactly her close friends—Poppy was still in Fiji. YOU’RE NOT SPECIAL: If you spend one amorous night with a man and he shows no signs of ever committing to you for real. he is NOT INTO YOU. Are they at . Abigail was in Hawaii. Jane relayed the latest development in her Hollywood saga to friends over dinner. Dammit. And start detoxing off him. . .? It can’t be! thought Jane. You are better than your one-night stand. She checked the date.

leaning over the table and dropping his voice to a whisper. Or at least to hear his voice again. they couldn’t contain their laughter.’ said Matt.86
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When Jane told the boys the story. shame and anger at herself for getting sucked into the game. If she sleeps with me. Then Jane considered the reality of the situation. tears springing to her eyes. ‘You know the women are full of shit otherwise they wouldn’t be there. If a woman sleeps with you on the ﬁrst day you meet her. you know?’ As Jane listened. If not I may have actually found a girl I can respect. Jane. That’s why I have the slut test. or within. she fails the test. ‘Do whatever you have to do as long as you never contact him again. I wonder how many others have there been. her emotions swung between hurt. ‘If a woman sleeps with me that quickly. ‘Another notch on his chicks-I’ve-fucked belt.’ ‘Think about it from a guy’s perspective.’ Jane desperately wanted to call the Producer—to discover what the hell had gone so terribly wrong. It’s a win-win for me. and to tell him that she was over it. then great.’ said George. What had made him so quick to replace her with someone else. say. One freaking night! And yet she’d projected so
.’ ‘So I delete his phone number from my phone then?’ Jane choked out. but you’re just another number. ‘I have to stiﬂe a giggle every time I hear the “I don’t normally have sex on the ﬁrst date” excuse. twelve to twenty-four hours of meeting. as easily as other people changed their bedsheets? It didn’t make sense. ‘I’m sorry. It had been one night.’ George said.

.’ said Matt. How dare he! That was the ﬁnal straw. in her mind. ‘He’s freezing you out. THE FREEZE-OUT: When he’s realised he’s made a big mistake by sleeping with you because now you’re obsessed with him.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE: JAN E
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many fantasies onto the Producer that. And there’s no flipping it any time soon. True. He’s freezing you out. he’s going to do everything in his power to avoid any form of communication with you. And yes. ‘I do it all the time. She needed to take action. he’d made her promises that made her want to sing from the rooftops.
Freezing me out? she thought. Don’t take it personally. he was amazing at going down on her. they’d been through the entire dating rigmarole and were now madly in love and living happily ever after in his idyllic country house. True. he’d whispered many sweet nothings to her. But his actions weren’t matching his words.’
#34. and fast.

4
Candy Men: Why too many from the same jar will make you sick
A man falls in love through his eyes.
Woodrow Wyatt
It’s not true that nice guys finish last.
Addison Walker
. a woman through her ears. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts.

And the truth is that no matter how many times the bad boys stomp on our hearts in their alligator loafers. Especially because we think we now know exactly how to change and manipulate him. Until we turn around one day to ﬁnd another woman’s toothbrush sitting on his bathroom
. The rapacious high. we can’t help but continue to go back to the same breed of man time and time again. This time he pulls us in deeper. we don’t even feel the landing. we’re drawn to the bad boys like moths to a ﬂame. exhilarated and powerful. This time we tell ourselves it will end differently. desperate for our next quick ﬁx. the bad boys make us feel wonderfully high. we’ve learned all the lessons from the last guy and this time we believe we’ve stepped up our game. Yet it always ends up the same. After all. You see as women. And then the low. It’s no wonder we do it too considering that at ﬁrst. we come crashing back down to earth so fast. Yet once it’s all over (and it never lasts very long).CA NDY M E N
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Candy Men
It was Mae West who once said that in order to appreciate the nice guy you have to get burnt by the bad boy ﬁrst. We’ve discovered The Chase. And suddenly we become a junkie. While I’ve repeated this line many times to disgruntled girlfriends who cannot understand ‘why me?’ when it comes to feeling the wrath of a cad. I have to disagree with Ms West. We think we’re in control. So we ﬁnd another bad boy to date.

They’re everywhere in Hollywood: Colin Farrell. hoping we can change them but they’re making us sick to the stomach. and he’ll tell us to get the fuck out of his house. But alas.90
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cabinet right beside her carelessly strewn (or strategically placed) headband. 50 Cent and of course let’s not forget Mr Daniel Cleaver aka Hugh Grant. Suddenly we’re on a path where manshaping is imperative and turning him into a guy who dotes on us becomes our primary mission. After bad boy number two. overly conﬁdent macho man. where too much of any type makes us feel ill.
The bad boy: The one who will inevitably break your heart
There’s something so irresistibly charming about that rebellious. These are men with a reputation for breaking hearts so why do women keep dating them?
. Jude Law. Introducing the Candy Men. Suddenly we’re gorging ourselves on these men. And then we’ll ask him what happened and why it’s there. better known as the ‘bad boy’. you’d hope we’d learn our lesson. George Clooney. suddenly ﬁnding and changing bad boys into the guys we want them to be has become our sole mission.

Don’t get caught in their lecherous web.CA NDY M E N
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#35.
Unfortunately. but she remains committed to the fantasy that she will be the one to change him. the impulsive and thrill-seeking behaviour of a psychopath
. miraculously. it’s the way they make YOU feel. He’s dated and slept with dozens of girls before her. spinning you into such a web of oblivion that you become addicted to the sugar fix. she can be the one to change the bad boy. Avoid them at all costs. BAD BOY ALERT! Bad boys are candy: a quick fix that gives you the ultimate high and then the ultimate low. US psychologist Peter Jonason found that men who show ‘the self-obsession of a narcissist. It’s not THEM. But for a man there’s no bigger ego boost than having a woman become overly infatuated by his charm. BAD BOY ALERT 2: They know all the tricks.
In an article in Australian Vogue titled ‘The Unsuitable Boy’. every woman believes that somehow. good looks and nonchalant manner so he sees absolutely no reason to change into a ‘good boy’. the mind games and the right things to say to boost your ego and then pull you down.
#36.

Sam: Is it worth ever dating a bad boy?
. The second is a woman who is a strong. There are really only two things that change a bad boy. albeit he’ll always have a naughty streak inside. told me this . what is attractive about these men is the excitement and danger that come with dating them. independent. who’s appeared on Oprah and written a bestselling book on the topic called The MANual. . This ‘dark triad’ of traits is essentially associated with ‘high levels of self-interest and low levels of empathetic qualities’. . Oh. I interviewed self-proclaimed bad boy Steve Santagati to ﬁnd out more.92
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and the deceitful and exploitative nature of a Machiavelli’ are actually more attractive to the female sex. Although such traits aren’t attractive on paper. sometimes bad girl herself and really fun to be with. The ﬁrst is age.
Conversation with Steve Santagati— self-proclaimed bad boy expert
Sam: Can you ever change a bad boy? Steve: You can’t really change a bad boy but you can help a bad boy change himself. As he ‘matures’ and has had his ﬁll of felines. he tends to look for the simplicity of one great woman to be with. Steve. and did I mention she should be sexy/hot.

if you decide to have sex with us request monogamy in that department. and whether or not she can break our patterns and keep us on our toes/keep us guessing. if you pay attention you will learn a ton. or have just dated at least four other women. Explain the health risks etc. Also. if you know what to expect and don’t take it too seriously. Sam: Do some bad boys like to skip the dating process altogether?
Steve: All men like to skip dating and get right to bed.
. Sam: Are you really dating four other women at once and should we realise that when we ﬁrst start to date you?
Steve: You should always assume we are dating. the more we like the dating process. Sam: How do you distinguish between a woman you want to date and someone you’re just using to have a good time?
Steve: Very simply. how hot she is (to us). planning to date. However. Duh! This isn’t a romantic comedy we’re living. by how smart she is. attribute it to the way a cat plays with its prey before killing it. However.CA NDY M E N
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Steve: Yes. the ‘badder’ we become.

But she has to know how men think and how to manipulate their actions. we never (at least. However. Sam: Can a woman ever ﬂip The Chase?
Steve: Obviously. Sam: If a bad boy texts a woman and she doesn’t reply or is very aloof. However. laugh and have fun. sound like you. any decent man never does) go in thinking we want to hurt someone. No more.
. no less. Unless you hurt us ﬁrst. but I love observing how you see life. I don’t want to be like you. this has to start from day one or no later than date three. I’m personally in it because I love women and I think you’re fascinating. will that make you MORE into her? Is that the way it works?
Steve: It’s complicated.94
The Chase When a woman ﬁrst meets you. But you get the idea. what are the telltale signs that you’re just a bad boy ready to mess with our head?
Sam:
Steve: We’re going to make you feel like you’ve known us your whole life. sleep with you. The Chase is more fun than the catch. Sam: Are you just in it for The Chase?
Steve: In the words of the great band Motorhead. act like you. We go in with the simple desire to seduce you.

Sam: If I have always attracted bad boys how do I change so I attract good guys?
Steve: You can’t.CA NDY M E N
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Sam:
How can a woman make herself become attracted to good guys?
Steve: You can’t. and it’s how relationship experts. Trying to get some guy to like you is stupid. You have to reverse your psyche and not follow these idiots. If he sucks in bed he’s probably a ‘good guy’. Be bad. see how much he goes ‘out of his way’ for you.You must observe them and you
. Sam: What steps can you take at the beginning to determine whether a guy is a bad boy or good guy?
Steve: Ha ha ha. It’s up to you to weed out the idiots. If he doesn’t seem very available he’s probably a bad boy. be really bad and you’ll attract whomever you want. how can we understand a bad boy’s mind and psyche?
Steve: What does it all mean? To understand men you must love them. Why should I tell you that? Okay. TV shows and doctors take advantage of women. The best thing you can do is to attract as many men as possible so you can pick out who you like. You’ll see. All men are attracted to the same thing. Sam: Essentially. Think about it.

which describes him as follows: ‘He’s usually not the best-looking guy in the room . energy and heart. . sexy or seductive.’7 Unlike the bad boy. leaving a wreckage that is. Don’t even attempt to think you can change him. I look at life very differently than most.96
The Chase must be willing to make mistakes. The term was coined by the New York Observer. I look at it as fun. BAD BOY FACT 3: No Matter how much you believe a bad boy will change. who will bonk you and ﬂee.
#37.
The homme fatale
Unlike his female counterpart—think Sharon Stone from Basic Instinct or the women from Desperate Housewives—who will use all her sexual allure to get what she wants. . whose game is laughably easy to detect. and pretending to listen
. the homme fatale uses more complex techniques to trap you in his lecherous web—such as a series of latenight phone conversations. more disastrous. but unlike the typical womaniser. in the end. he will not. You’re only wasting your precious time. the homme fatale is not nearly as pretty. the Homme Fatale’s modus operandi is more emotional and controlling than it is physical. seemingly innocent dates that don’t end back at his place.

He was just a bad boy masquerading as a nice guy. now it’s “nice guy with the heart of a
. ‘built a career as an unlikely womaniser on the sensitive underdog persona’. She adds: ‘The archetype used to be “secretly sensitive asshole”. It’s not your fault that you didn’t see it
#38. Sadie. And then he’ll pull the rug right out from underneath you.CA NDY M E N
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to your feelings for weeks on end. The homme fatale is always one step ahead of you.
coming—women are genetically designed to become emotionally and romantically attached to a man who purports to understand their ‘feelings’.com. THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB: He is the worst sort of man. You’ll fall hopelessly in love with him and he’ll let you believe you’re the only one for him. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this. Once he’s got you emotionally involved. she reckons. What went wrong? you wonder. . I thought he was different. For months on end. A typical homme fatale. But he will break your heart. he’ll dump you. The HF will not. No such luck. At least the player and the bad boy and the pick-up artist will alert you to the fact that you’re being played. . who. a writer from Jezebel. likens the homme fatale to Woody Allen. He was so in tune with my feelings! He listened to me when I told him stuff .

on some level. I was like. a certain kind of man feels the need for another kind of challenge. I would be at home drinking whisky and smoking a cigarette in the corner. Perhaps as a sexual conquest has become less taboo. we’re still not. And not only are you missing out on meeting a man of your own due to the fact that you’re cavorting with him but you’re potentially the cause of someone else’s break-up and heartbreak. He’ll wine and dine you.’8 One woman told the New York Observer about her homme fatale experience: ‘I was really an anxious mess with this guy. I was constantly checking texts and emails. tell you you’re the most beautiful woman he’s ever met and shower you with gifts. And because this guy is as interested in an emotional conquest as a physical one. But all he’s really doing is feeding his ego by garnering your attention. waiting for him to call.98
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jerk”. Finally.
. prepared for him.’ she said. “I am thirty years old! What am I doing?”’
The taken man
This is the most dangerous guy of all—unless you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. we’re not trained to fend him off. I am not an insecure person and I was terribly insecure. Although we’re surrounded by the type. ‘He’d email me and text me all day and then just fall off the face of the planet for three days.

naked in our shared bed. Some women ﬁnd themselves concocting an entire relationship in their head. STAY AWAY. And now you ﬁnd yourself sitting at your ofﬁce desk fantasising about your future life together for hours on end. . Thanks to his ingenious method of pushing and pulling you in so many directions that you don’t know where your mind is. When a bloke projects sexy masculine energy. you can bet your Mac lip-gloss that he’s going to turn around and do the same thing to you . you’re probably now at that point where your hormones are going crazy and you’ve become obsessed with a man simply because he saw you naked and then gave you the best orgasm of your life. something inside the female brain snaps and we start picturing a future with him—at his family barbecue.
Stop fantasising about Candy Men!
If you’re already ensconced in the Candy Man’s dirty web. it can seem like there’s no escaping. And if he does. GET RID OF THE TAKEN MAN PRONTO! The taken man will never dump his current girlfriend or wife for you. so when
. sitting on the couch together watching television.CA NDY M E N
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#39. .

. .100
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he doesn’t call they can’t understand it. try this exercise. He’s supposed to be their boyfriend! He’s supposed to be having all these wonderful thoughts about them too! Newsﬂash ladies: he’s not.
If you’re having difficulty switching off those fantasy images playing in your brain. .
#40. Remember Jane from ‘A Cautionary Tale:1’.
. drinking expensive champagne then hopping in a limo to attend red-carpet premieres on his arm? An entire future life was playing out in her head and she’d slept with the guy once! It’s ﬁne to fantasise what your life might be like with a man who actually calls you back when he says he will and asks you to move the relationship forward after months of dating. but after a few casual bonks without any sign of future commitment (remember— it’s not his WORDS but his ACTIONS that mean the most). then the best way to cut out the heartbreak is to stop the fantasy. CANDY MAN WARNING: Don’t fantasise about the life you’re going to have together. Live in the present! He’s not your boyfriend . So don’t let your mind wander . . who envisioned moving to LA for this man she’d only just met. where she saw herself in his apartment night after night.

Shatter the glass so the image shatters with it. Put a thick black frame around it and glass over the front. Turn the picture into a black-and-white image. Repeat as many times as necessary for the fantasy to disappear.
. Watch it move further and further away.CA NDY ME N
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Call up your fantasy image and concentrate on it hard. freeze frame it and then watch yourself step out of it. then push it as far away from you as possible into the bottom right-hand corner of your vision. Then turn around and walk away.

She was an alpha female and she was sticking by it. Abigail didn’t exactly give a shit what men thought. She knew he’d agree when she
. she’s surmised that in order to survive in a man’s world she’d need to toughen up and sex herself down. She felt her chest tightening. After all. As the creator and owner of an online dating business called luv-topia. they already had been living together for over six months.com that she’d dreamed up.A Cautionary Tale: Abigail
Henry Kissinger once said that power was the greatest aphrodisiac. it can morph into a major turn-off. she thought. But it seems that when this power is in the hands of a career woman. ‘Babe. This was going to be her honeymoon destination. I’ve found it!’ she squealed excitedly to Lloyd over the phone after the concierge left her alone by the poolside. But today there was one thing on her mind as she walked into the lobby of the decadent Hawaiian hotel. This was it. The excitement in the air was palpable as she strolled through the Four Seasons in Maui. She was standing at the exact spot where hopefully in a few months they’d be saying their vows against a backdrop of crashing waves and luminescent sand. She wanted to remember the moment when Lloyd agreed to a future together. and it wasn’t like they were young any more. gliding in her new beige and gold-ﬂecked Christian Louboutin wedges that she’d bought especially for the occasion.

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#41. you can be an alpha in the boardroom. But remember. they could make the entire wedding cake out of it! ‘Married?’ Lloyd almost spat the word.What did he mean he didn’t want to get married? She tossed a lock of her curly red hair that had fallen in front of her thick black-rimmed Chanel specs and took a deep breath. but you must be a beta in the bedroom. knowing how upset she would be. . Men don’t respond sexually. lovingly or dotingly to a woman who tries to control and manipulate their every move. Now she was standing in the lobby of the hotel feeling like the biggest fool on the planet. sunset views and that they had his favourite caramel creme dessert on the menu.
. No matter how smart you think you might be. ALPHA FEMALE WARNING: AFs like to control every aspect of their lives. ‘I just want to feel ﬁnancially secure before I am responsible for someone else Abigail. .
told him about the cascading waters. Plus. she thought angrily.’ he coaxed. Asshole. your relationship and around your man. ‘Are you out of your fucking mind? Surely you cannot be serious?’ Abigail could feel the rage building up inside of her. Christ! He hadn’t even bothered to turn the sound down. Save it for your corner office . She could hear the Playstation blaring in the background.

She’d been warned off men like this. and nagged him every now and again by surreptitiously suggesting honeymoon locations (and visiting them so she could email him back the pictures). give in and agree to give her the dream wedding she so rightly deserved. But Abigail had refused to listen. at some point. buy them a Playstation. and never. Hence. Men who refused to grow up. It can only end badly and since men need to be in control of the rules of the relationship. Oh. knowing how desperately Lloyd had wanted one. HIS EGO NEEDS TO BE COAXED NOT BULLIED:
NEVER under any circumstances. under any circumstances. In fact she was mightily pissed off. But her parents had been married for over thirty-ﬁve years and they still looked at each other like a bunch of loved-up teenagers. and so she had surprised
. Now. especially since the fact his parents had split when he was eleven. he would. She knew she was supposed to stay clear. she simply ﬁgured that if she acted as a devoted girlfriend. proved she could be the ideal wife. ego and sense of self will be destroyed if you do so. she wasn’t going to wait around any more.
Abigail knew he wasn’t into the whole walking down the aisle thing. at age thirty-ﬁve. Adult Peter Pans. his very masculinity. which meant they weren’t exactly great role models for commitment. bully a man into getting married.104
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#42.

Or you’ll ruin The Chase for good. And boy.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : ABI GAI L
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him with it for his birthday. she decided there and then that she’d ﬁnd someone that bloody well would . CHASE TIP: Men don’t believe that they are to ever slot into a woman’s ‘grand plan’. They’re not built to do it. . So don’t ever force your plan down their throat. ‘I’m in fucking Hawaii. If he wasn’t going to marry her. did she regret it. .
#43.
. I came all the way here for you. Because her friends were right: it did spell the kiss of death to their sex life. and you can’t even appreciate the fact that I’m trying to move our relationship forward? We’re not kids any more Lloyd! It’s time for you to grow some fucking balls.’ She clicked the phone shut.

. And all power to you! But if your ex (or a date. if you ﬁnd yourself grabbing your mobile phone after a few drinks and frantically typing in the words ‘Wanna hook up?’ at 3 am. if you constantly compare your new beau to him (especially in the bedroom) and are unable to push him out of your mind no matter how many blind dates. or your bonk buddy) pops up over and over again in your mind. NO SEX WITH THE EX! No matter how good the sex was. Expectations are muddled. then feel free to skip this chapter. hook-ups and hallucinogens you’ve had. we’re usually the ones who end up suffering. While men will never say no to ‘graveyard sex’ (or any sex for that matter). it never ends. if you tear up old photos of you both together only to piece them back together later on. then you could be suffering from Syndrome Ex.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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Syndrome Ex
If you are one of those lucky ladies who is over her ex for good and has moved on without a worry in the world. after a break-up you should never return to the scene of the crime.
#44. emotions are confused and unfortunately as women.

Tensing up whenever you go somewhere the two of you used to hang out and taking a peek to check if he’s there. lover.108
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Symptoms of Syndrome Ex
• • • • • Being unable to have a conversation with a friend without mentioning his name. acted differently or said different things. Constantly comparing any new date. Spending hours thinking about him and what ‘could have been’. but always end up feeling worse than when you started. Driving by his place in the hope of not catching him in a passionate kiss with someone else (otherwise known as stalking). Wondering ‘what if ’ you’d done things differently. romantic interest to your ex and ﬁnding that no-one can ever live up to him. Fantasising about the times you spent together. looked different. Constantly analysing his behaviour in an attempt to decipher what went wrong. Finding yourself unable to get out of bed because you haven’t heard from your ex. You’re desperate to text/call/email him even though you know he’s not going to respond or he’s moved on. You have sex with other guys in an attempt to get over your ex.
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yet you can’t seem to shake off the urge to contact him.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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•
You have sex with your ex in an attempt to re-establish some sort of emotional connection. but quickly realise that it’s a fruitless exercise that only leaves you feeling miserable. Or the guy you had a one-night stand with and never heard from again. worst of all. I’ve come to the conclusion that the only feasible solution. To sleep with him just one more time in the hope that it will lead to something more. The questions I’m most often asked by readers are along the lines of: ‘How do I get over my ex?’. ‘Should I quit stalking my ex on Facebook every day and simply move on?’ From all my research. ‘Should I stop sleeping with my ex since we’re no longer dating?’ and. Well. is to embark on a course of drastic action: a strict Ex Detox Diet. and wasn’t that special anyway. yet you can’t seem to get him out of your mind. I know what you’re thinking: God. the good news is: you’re not alone. no alcohol and way too many cups of leek soup. To kiss him again. But the fact is that
.
The Ex Detox challenge
So you know you’re a twat for still being addicted to the guy who caused you so much pain and heartache. not another freaking detox that involves gooey green drinks. as with all toxic addictions. Or the date who didn’t call you back.

and I was going to come out clean and sober. no ﬂirting.’ she wrote. No wonder something in her snapped: ‘I had to take a break from dating to see exactly what in the world caused me to make these horrible choices. then. I encourage anyone who’s obsessed with an ex to take the Ex Detox challenge and embark on this detox program. Kristin Booker. I was going into a dating detoxiﬁcation. Don’t put it off until tomorrow—or until you’ve called him back or met him for coffee or read his text. thinking about or engaging in hot sex with an ex is so addictive that it can turn even the most unsuspecting victim into a junky worthy of a stint at a Promises rehab clinic.110
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talking to. nothing. everyone can manage my 30-day Ex Detox Diet. her addiction to bad boys was so extreme that she found herself dating a guy who hit her. immediately after. a columnist on the website Your Tango.’9 While most of us ﬁnd a three-year detox a little extreme. found her addiction to her ex was so overwhelming that her detox turned into a three-yearlong effort comprising no men or sex whatsoever. I needed to be clear to sort out the drama of my life. another guy who she caught having full-blown. No casual dating. forceful sex with another woman at a house party. ‘I decided to go cold turkey. That said. Start now!
.

And there’s no leek soup involved—I promise. he’ll feel the snap.You’ll get your power back. Or fool yourself into believing
. When you switch off that part of your brain that’s obsessing over them. 100 per cent genuinely. Plus. girlfriend. and they won’t like it one bit. but I guarantee that if you stick to the program. but once you’re in the throes of the challenge. It’s not a game. I want to let you in on a little secret that the hundreds of people who have already tested the 30-day Ex Detox have discovered. I’m talking about the fact that men (especially your ex) will develop a weird sixth sense when it comes to you no longer being obsessed with them. As soon as you break those strong cords that bond you and your ex. or ask to see you. That’s all I’m asking of you. And the best news is that by then you’ll be completely and utterly over him! The catch is that the sixth sense theory does not kick in until you are truly. or text. So he’ll call. It’s not much. It may not make sense right now. their sixth sense will immediately tap into the fact that you’re over them. You can’t trick yourself into doing it. emotionally over him.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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The 30-day Ex Detox Challenge
Thirty days. in the process you will nurture yourself and get yourself back into tiptop dating shape. you’ll get it. you will be successful in physically and emotionally removing your ex from your life. You can’t play at this.

Are you? Are you a strong. Of course. put it on your fridge. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get to work! And every time you want to give up and go back to your old stalking and terrorist-texting ways. and only then will his chase to get you back begin. think about the sixth sense theory. capable. you need to be committed to it.112
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it. THE SIXTH-SENSE THEORY: He’s never going to come back to you.
Are you ready?
Ladies.
#45. and you’re never going to get your power back until you’re EMOTIONALLY over him. and let’s get cracking!
. by that stage you’ll be so completely over the cad and onto the next fabulous man that you’ll want nothing to do with him. to start the 30-day Ex Detox. or download it from my website for your screensaver. independent woman who is ready to push her noxious ex out of her life for good? Then sign this contract.You actually have to be over him.

I hereby acknowledge that failure to abide by these rules will result in me getting my heart broken again by the same person who did it once before. loyal. _____________________________________ The Forlorn Singleton Date:
________________________
. _______________ the Single Female. The term ‘ex’ denotes anyone I’ve: • Slept with • Fallen in love with • Had a relationship with • Been on a date with • Been a booty call buddy with • Lived with. Rules include: • No contact with the ex • No accepting booty call invitations • No stalking • No frequenting the places you know he might be • No feeling guilty about ignoring all his texts and calls.
2. 1. do hereby agree to abstain from any contact with my toxic ex-boyfriend for 30 days. I will begin my 30 days of no contact with my ex in order to remove him from my life once and for all and in so doing attract a decent. 3. Signed. and that I will be prevented from meeting the man of my dreams. 4. kind-hearted man who is worthy of my affection. I hereby agree that by signing this contract.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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THE 30-DAY EX DETOX CONTRACT
I.

It’s like your best friend dangling a box of chocolate cupcakes in front of your face when you’re trying to lose a couple of kilos! From now on. ‘So how’s Jed/Paul/Samuel? Have you spoken to him yet? Has he replied to your texts? Is he dating someone else yet?’ It’s bad enough that he hasn’t called you back. the horror!). you’ll need to change your mindset and get your head around the fact that your ex is no longer on the sexual. Day 2: Get your head around the rules Just like a new diet where carbs are no longer on the menu (oh.
30-day Ex Detox Program
. emotional or physical menu. all your girlfriends need to be fully aware that your ex is like Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series: your ex is now ‘He-WhoMust-Not-Be-Named’. but now that you’re attempting to detox yourself you can’t afford the temptation to start thinking about him again.114
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The 30-day Ex Detox Program
Week 1
Day 1: Tell your friends Pick up the phone or send a text message or an email to the close friends that you love and trust to tell them about your new ‘diet’. Because there’s nothing worse than the constant.

you politely tell him. stalking his Facebook. I get a lump in my throat at the idea of telling someone I love/have loved to stop texting or calling me until I’m no longer ‘too busy’ to speak with him. then put it away in a drawer. But the truth is that receiving an ex’s texts or hearing his voicemail messages can become an addiction. the reality is that it’s way too detrimental—not only to your emotions right now. Under no circumstances are you to send it to him!
30-day Ex Detox Program
. thinking about him or talking about him for the next thirty days. or simply delete it off your computer.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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At least until the thirty days are up and the sting’s gone out of the whole thing. Hope you’re well. emailing. or sends you a barrage of text messages. And while it’s exhilarating.’ Even writing that now. but to any future relationship you might be deﬂecting because this ex is still in the picture. If you feel the urge to get in touch with him—as no doubt you will—write down what you intend to say to him so it’s off your chest. texting. ego-boosting and makes you feel like a million dollars (for a nanosecond). The rules for the Ex Detox are all about cutting contact. send it to a girlfriend instead. stalking his new girlfriend’s Facebook. If he does call and beg to speak to you.That means no calling. ‘I’d love to chat but I’m on work deadline/understaffed/ extremely busy with a new project and I’ll contact you once things slow down. So buck up and do it! From day two. there is to be no contact with your ex for the next thirty days.

Continue with this approach until you’re in the habit of pushing thoughts about your ex out of your head the instant they appear. if today’s Monday. Days 4–7: Start the process of physically deleting your ex from your world This is the tough part. They are no longer that way. Of course. It could be that you bonked on every
. until you’ve scheduled in some ETT. This means throwing out everything that reminds you of how things were.116
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30-day Ex Detox Program
Day 3: Learn to schedule your Ex Thinking Time (ETT) When thoughts about your ex pop into your head. then everything in your life is going to act as a constant reminder of him. Nor will they ever be again. when Wednesday rolls around you’ll have forgotten all about the scheduled arrangement. So. so they no longer inﬁltrate your mind and prevent you from concentrating on anything else. This is good. put them away until later. but it needs to be carried out stringently if you’re going to get your ex out of your life for good. if you dated for more than a nanosecond. Now try extending that time to four days. then tell yourself you’re not allowed to think about the ex till Wednesday at 5 pm. Let that thought sink into your mind over the next few days as you start the process of ex de-cluttering. Most likely. Tell yourself that any thoughts about him that pop up have to wait until the weekend.

Quit stalking his website. Delete his email address and all the emails he’s ever sent you. which holds all his romantic texts. or you’re literally surrounded by photos. Yes. Delete him from your Myspace. This is where things can get difﬁcult. If you just can’t bring yourself to do this.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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piece of furniture in your apartment. If you can’t bear the thought of throwing them out for good. ask a techno-savvy mate to block those websites from your browser. tweets. so let’s break it down: • Delete his phone number AND all his text messages. And if you still can’t help yourself. Yeouch. Facebook updates and the most coveted piece of the entire puzzle: his contact number. then a temporary solution is to type them up on your computer. emails. Take down all photographs around your home
•
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30-day Ex Detox Program
. Not to mention the fact that he’s constantly with you everywhere you go thanks to your beloved phone. shagging his secretary or smiling in pics with leggy blondes. Out of sight means out of mind. save the document with a password and put it away somewhere you won’t see it every day. Stop following him on Twitter. cut and paste them into a separate document and hide it away with the text messages ﬁle. Deleting him from your Facebook page means you’ll no longer know that he’s going out on dates. presents and his underwear. it’s tough but oh-so-necessary.

stay away from any place where there’s even the slightest possibility you might meet any man at all!
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30-day Ex Detox Program
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. Do everything in your power to make that happen.118
The Chase and box them up immediately. but all other presents need to be given away or sold on eBay. delete them or save them for another time. Your new number-one priority is either him getting out or you getting out. Student accommodation is always an option! No frantic dating! Your girlfriends. Quit whining to your girlfriends about your ex. Keep the Chanel handbag or the Tiffany bracelet for the day you’re truly over him. your phone and your bedside table. the gym and your beautician are going to become your social life for the next thirty days. No frequenting the places where you and your ex used to hang out together. The more you talk about him. Think of the proﬁts as your detox reward! All those CDs or songs on your iPod that remind you of your ex—put them away in a box. the more he’s in your mind and the more you’ll be tempted to call.You don’t want them in temptation’s way. In fact. Otherwise. you’re guaranteed to end up listening to them when you come home drunk and then you’ll be tempted to drunk-dial! Don’t continue to live together for any reason whatsoever. text or stalk him on Facebook. Remove pics of the two of you from your computer screensaver.

It will also encourage you to think of other things—like work. buy yourself a blank notebook and get cracking. or how much you miss him. Instead of letting your mind constantly do somersaults.
Week 2: Days 8–14
Work on yourself—both inside and out Get a journal. Far away. Hang out with people who are good inﬂuences. Write your ex a letter containing everything that you want to say to him. Detail every thought. even if it’s just a stream of thoughts that continuously tell you how much you hate your ex. question. • Start by writing down whatever’s going on inside your head. feeling or hurt. how much you blame yourself for being with him in the ﬁrst place.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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•
Focus on your health. having fun with your mates or even—gasp!—the prospect of meeting someone new. Journalling will give your mind a little breathing space. Journalling your thoughts is one of the most powerful things you can do. People have a tendency to resort to self-destructive behaviour when they’re facing a difﬁcult challenge. and do things that make you feel good the following day—not something that’ll give you the hangover from hell. He is never to see it. 30-day Ex Detox Program
•
. gratitude or confusion you might have. Put this letter away.

You might even dream about things other than your ex. clear your mind and help you to sleep better. Set yourself up with a positive mindset for the entire day. It can be the smallest thing. Some ideas include: • Take up pole dancing. It can be anything from cleaning out your wardrobe to ﬁnally getting that zipper ﬁxed. from paying a bill to learning a new language! Write down your achievement every night and remind yourself of your success every morning.
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30-day Ex Detox Program
Meditate. like waking up to sunshine and birds chirping. . Now wouldn’t that be nice? Get sexy. Hop onto iTunes or go to your local health food store and grab yourself a meditation or relaxation CD. or getting a promotion or a new client at work.120
The Chase Add a daily ‘gratitude page’ to your journal where you list all the things in your life that you’re thankful for.’ Give yourself a daily mission where you set a goal that is achievable during that day. Listen to it at night before you go to bed or whenever you’re feeling scattered through the day.
. conﬁdent and better about being single. Start each day by saying ‘I am grateful for . . This involves anything that increases your heart rate and makes you feel sexy. It will relax your body. This important tool will be vital to your Ex Detox success.

The high that you get from working out is akin to the high you used to get from having sex with your ex (or even getting a text message from him). thrust forward your hips and make you stand taller. buy some! And if you are one to wear high heels. like jazz dance or softball.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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• •
•
Get a personal trainer. to do whatever it is that puts a smile back on your face and makes you feel alive again. Think about beating your ex at whatever you’re doing if that will make you sweat harder! Try these ideas:
. nourish your soul. makes you feel fabulous and gets you out of the house. Enough moping about. prouder and sexier. Whip that butt into shape! Make it a regular thing—get a buddy if you don’t have enough selfmotivation—and start setting goals. Really push yourself. The body can do amazing things when you push it in a positive direction! Find something that suits you. Take up a sport—something you did during your teens that made you feel good. buy another pair. There’s nothing better than a pair of heels to elevate your butt. 30-day Ex Detox Program
Week 3: Days 15–21
Your self-fulﬁlment plan—transform yourself into the person you want to be This is your time to expand your horizons. The ﬁrst place to start is with exercise. If you’re not one to wear high heels. your mind and your body.

Take up tennis or squash—sign up for lessons if you’ve never played before or you need a partner. less drastic options: • Get a facial. You’re thinking irrationally. Get over to your local pool and dive in!
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30-day Ex Detox Program
•
After a break-up. But there are some other. Do something nurturing like getting a body massage or pedicure and manicure. many people have a tendency to go for a drastic makeover. Nothing beats fresh air and the sand between your toes. You can always imagine the ball as your ex—works every time. If you really love running. sign up for a marathon! Swimming will give you a complete mind-body connection. get a tattoo or pierce a nostril. and go for your favourite soy chai lattes afterwards. Grab a girlfriend. trim your hair or get it professionally blow-dried. Plus. there are loads of cute guys doing the same every morning so you’ll be reminded that your ex isn’t the only ﬁsh in the sea. My advice is to wait until the thirty-day period is over before you do anything major. A spray tan is my secret weapon—it instantly removes ﬁve
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Instead of entirely changing your usual look. Who wouldn’t feel better after that! Go shopping! People in the midst of getting over their ex have a tendency either to stay in the same outﬁt for the next three weeks—most likely. while a new lip gloss or glossy foundation will give your face a lift. and don’t be tempted into using terms like ‘dickhead’. Please don’t go down either of these paths. then say it. miniskirts and thigh-high boots that would make even Carmen Electra look tame by comparison. trendy and will turn any outﬁt from drab to fab. get the salesperson to give you a mini-makeover. ‘asshole’ or ‘douchebag’ to talk about your ex or the woman who stole him or who he’s moved on with. go shopping for new accessories that will make getting dressed in the morning a fun activity. Visit your favourite make-up counter. My favourite thing to do is to hit up Diva or Accessorize: they’re cheap. Sit and stand up straight and don’t mumble! If you have something to say. Hence they start wearing midriff tops. Positive language will
30-day Ex Detox Program
. Try to stay away from negative words such as ‘don’t’ or ‘can’t’. tracky daks and ugg boots—or decide that they need to show as much skin as possible in order to attract the opposite sex. Talk and think high. Sexy lingerie underneath your clothing will make you feel great at any time of the day or night. and update your routine.TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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•
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kilos from your frame.

au). give you a sense of freedom and control. I’m not talking about going on heavy blind dates where your entire future is riding on the fact that this is the last man on the planet. I consider this extreme dating). hiking in the forest or rock-climbing. or even exercisedating (check out www. to a sporting match (yes. If skydiving isn’t your thing.fastimpressions.au).124
The Chase keep you in a positive mind-space. Since you want your bod to be in tiptop shape when you restart the dating process.com. I’m talking about grabbing a gaggle of your single girlfriends and going speed-dating. Be the bigger person!
Week 4: Days 22–28
Come out of your shell This is your week to go wild—literally. canoeing on the harbour. but to have a laugh and
30-day Ex Detox Program
. Extreme sports. and rebalance your mind. Do something that’s going to put a smile on your dial. Extreme dating. This will build self-esteem.ﬁt2date. I want you to do something so extreme it’s going to knock the wind out of you. The aim isn’t to meet a replacement man. wine-tasting dating (try www. try parasailing.com. Extensive studies have been carried out on what gives us pleasure. extreme sports are going to be your best bet. with extreme activities coming pretty much top of the pile after sex and chocolate.

Even if it’s just a gentle walk. politely say that you’ve moved on. tell yourself that you’re beautiful and write your ‘grateful page’ in your journal every night. Stop talking about him for good. Be open to the fact that he probably isn’t ‘the one’. Continue to get a blow-dry or manicure regularly. Don’t quit your beauty upkeep.
30-day Ex Detox Program
. Conﬁdence is key! Walk tall. or whatever else makes you feel beautiful. don’t stop doing all the things that helped you reach your goal. . You won’t believe the huge changes that come out of such simple things. You’ve got to get your blood moving and your endorphins ﬂowing. Continue to exercise for at least forty minutes per day. Every day. And stop fantasising once and for all about ‘what might have been’!
Day 31 and after .TH E E X DE TOX D I E T
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know that there are other people out there in your exact situation and nothing in this life is a hopeless scenario! No more ex toxins! This is where you take the ﬁnal steps to get rid of your ex. and if a friend asks about him. . Don’t underestimate the power of pampering yourself. Stop making excuses for him.
Just because the thirty days are over and you’ve completed the Ex Detox successfully.

which is okay too. Just read the next few chapters. put together your strategy for when you are ready—and get set for a new era of your life!
. No-one wants more heartbreak. you may not be ready to even think about another man for a few more months. Of course. you need an appropriate ‘plan of attack’ to avoid things going horribly wrong yet again. do some research. The New Man Plan isn’t about going out to ﬁnd a man right now.126
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Your New Man Plan
Starting to realise that life without your ex might not be so bad after all? Think you might be ready to dip your toe back into the icy waters of singledom? If so. It’s about coming up with a strategy on how to go about it.

Part 2
The New Man Plan
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Argh. they got wasted. Where were the dates? Why had he frozen up when she’d asked if he wanted to meet for dinner? Why hadn’t she been introduced to his mum? She was starting to suspect that something was amiss. which didn’t exactly make sense. It had been ﬁve nights since she’d been to his place and she was craving his rock-hard body against hers. when the girls got together. she looked good—all tanned and glossy and blonde. She sent him a text: ‘What are we doing?’ ‘What do you mean?’ he replied. Another one bites the dust.’ Friends that shag? Is that all I am to him? she wondered. As usual. I’m over it!’ Jane slurred. holding
. considering there was no sign of a ring on her ﬁnger. What the hell is wrong with me? Lulu wondered sadly. ‘No more casual sex. Lulu met up with Jane. God. And Abigail was back from Hawaii doing God knows what.Yet something didn’t seem right. They were celebrating Poppy’s return from Fiji. wrote the manual and it doesn’t work. Something to do with scouting honeymoon destinations. Poppy and Abigail the following night for drinks at a bar.’ she replied angrily.A Cautionary Tale: Lulu
Lulu couldn’t wait to see Chad again. ‘Been there. ‘Us—what are we doing?’ ‘We’re friends that shag. done that.

‘Over being fucked and chucked by men who aren’t even worth it in the ﬁrst place. right?’ ‘Cheers to that. ‘You’re going to need some coaching ﬁrst.’
. but you’re fucking clueless when it comes to dating.com. Over feeling like shit the next morning. taking a sip of her cocktail. do you know that 2000 people have found the love of their life through my site?’ Abigail continued. you might want to skip being ‘Friday-Night Girl’ and let someone else wear that badge. ‘Seriously. ‘Isn’t internet dating for weirdos and serial killers?’ Lulu giggled. okay.’ Lulu said.You won’t regret it. Over it!’
#46. babe. BOOTY CALL RULE: Women tend to fall harder for their booty call buddy than the man does. luv-topia. ‘Hey.
‘Cheers to that!’ Poppy said. you should try my dating website. No idea.’ Jane slurred. Over getting obsessed with men who don’t give a shit about me. ‘I’m sorry to say it. swishing her caprioska around in its glass.’ Poppy told Lulu.’ Abigail suggested. Trust me. ‘Not any more. ‘I guess things couldn’t get any worse. . Lulu—I’ll give you free membership for a month. .130
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up her drink. So unless you’re sure about what you’re going into.’ ‘Um . The girls gave her a menacing stare. Just try it.

you need to stop thinking of every man as a potential husband or father to your kids. But now Lulu understood what was going on: Poppy wasn’t bored. Poppy looked completely bored with both of them. ‘You need to act at all times like you actually have a boyfriend. she’d always thought it was up to her to chase the guy.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : L U L U
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‘What do you mean?’ Lulu asked. Later in the evening.’ Lulu’s hurt only lasted for a second. Men can smell it a mile away. not noticing the hurt look on Lulu’s face. Next. Lulu watched as two men competed to chat up Poppy. she was going to have to completely change the way she presented herself. Lulu sat in her apartment with a glass of wine in her hand amongst a sea of dating books. Make him chase you. let alone sleeping with him.’ After three cocktails. to let him know she was interested. all the conﬂicting advice she’d attempted to
. you need to stop being so desperate. She knew the power Poppy had over men and the value of the advice that she was getting. All the dating advice she’d garnered. Poppy was really hitting her stride. to work for his attention. let alone your pussy. Ain’t going to happen with that attitude. ‘Well. Later that night. If she really wanted a boyfriend. ‘Like the last thing on your mind is committing to this man. all the psychobabble she’d tried to believe in. ﬁrstly. Making them get caught up in The Chase. she was making the men work for her interest. None of her dating books had ever put it so bluntly. Thanks to all those new-age books. But Poppy was right.’ she continued. He needs to beg you for the privilege of your company.

which wasn’t surprising after she’d thrown herself at him like that. your cherry or your awesome personality.132
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make sense of—it was all sprawled across the ﬂoor in front of her. No wonder she’d been so confused. You know when he isn’t worthy of your thoughts. or whatever) with a man who isn’t even worthy of the twenty-five cents it costs you to send him a text. It’s never going to work. You know when a man is playing you for a fiddle.
#47. Listen to your intuition. You know. The next she was meant to be proud to express her feelings. Then she picked up a book with pink-embossed lettering that looked like it had been drawn on with lipstick—she wasn’t meant to have feelings at all because apparently men love bitches! She dropped the book to the ﬂoor with a thud.
. She hadn’t ever heard from him again. You can’t read it in a book (unless it’s this one!) or listen to your girlfriends or attempt to emulate someone you saw on television. You know when you’re in love (or lust. BAD DATING ADVICE: Usually your intuition knows best. and chuck out those dating books!
She remembered how she’d behaved with Matt and the memory made her shudder. One minute she wasn’t supposed to call him.

soon enough. doing anything and everything to ﬁnd a man—any man. And she was about to do something she’d never have believed possible. Finally. No more living like a desperate Bridget Jones Clone. she photographed the books in her enormous collection. they needed an opportunity to do the chasing. It never worked the other way around.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : L U L U
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Men didn’t need a come-on. ready to go. There were hundreds of them. she thought about all those women desperately hoping to ﬁnd answers in those books when really the answers lay within. listed them on eBay. then carefully wrapped them in bubble-wrap and placed them into envelopes. They’ll learn . Time to ditch all the dating books and start listening to her own intuition. . she checked her eBay page and noticed that the bids on her books were rising and rising. Poor things.
. One by one. How the hell had she collected so many and yet remained so clueless? A few hours later. . she understood that. It was time to get rid of the ‘self-help singleton’ tag her friends had labelled her with for so long.

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By persistently remaining single a man converts himself into a permanent Public temptation.
Oscar Wilde
.6
Where are all the nice guys hiding?
Where are all the normal single men? Do they have special places that they go where single women are not allowed?
Lorrie.

So. calls when he says he will and treats you like a princess. giving you a sugar high that’s fabulous for the short time it lasts. then you’ve gorged yourself on way too many Candy Men and now.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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The low-GI man
If you’re anything like Jane. you’re ﬁnally ready to get over the sugar high and start eating healthy. Candy Men cloud your vision and take over your life. But then the low hits and you just feel insecure and ill at ease. ﬁrst step in your New Man Plan is to put into practice everything you learned in Chapter 2: you won’t be sleeping with any man till you get to know him ﬁrst and can ascertain whether he’s high or low GI. Lulu. Brace yourself. This guy may not give you the highs a Candy Man does. What you need to do is give up your bad-boy addiction and decide that enough’s enough! And once you do. He’s loyal. Abigail or Poppy. As long as you do exactly what I’m about to tell you. He will materialise in ways you never thought possible. Because this chapter is going to help you to meet the man of your dreams. First. ladies. ladies. let’s identify the type of man you deserve to be with. This guy is ‘the keeper’. kind. sending your heart racing. you’ll ﬁnd yourself starting to be open to the man you deserve to be with—the low-GI man. but you won’t get the backﬂips and somersaults that lead to those terrible lows either. Trust your instincts and you’ll quickly realise
. hopefully. These are high-GI men.

handsome. Maybe you go on lots of dates but always come home disappointed. genuine men and those who are just in it for their own high and then move on to the next candy ﬁx. feel sorry for the woman that gets duped into a long-term relationship with this guy. your IML.
the difference between high-quality. drive a Porsche and have abs
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#48. He is ALWAYS going to be looking over his shoulder. I know what you’re thinking. Whatever your approach. Woohoo! I get to write a list that’ll bring me my ultimate Prince Charming! He’s got to be tall. You are not going to be the one that he is going to settle down with. Now. Or maybe you never go on dates because you believe that all it takes is to meet just one suitable man and that could happen anywhere at any time—there’s no point forcing it. dark. So how do you ﬁnd this low-GI man? Read on!
Your ideal man list (IML)
Maybe you have loads of men ﬂitting in and out of your life. Instead of chasing him. HIGH-GI MEN WILL NEVER CHANGE:
So don’t try! You are never going to be the special one in his life to turn him into a low-GI man. you need a plan.You need to write your very own ideal man list.

But her Prince Charming turned out to be a dud in the sack. Not lower. Take the example of Charlotte York from Sex and the City. it doesn’t quite work that way. No happy ending there. or ‘settling’—just different. And their marriage turned out to be a dud too. Sustainable. Hence she had to chuck out that IML and start all over again with entirely different criteria. He was tall. He’s the love of her life and she can’t imagine being with anyone else. broodingly handsome.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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like Matthew McConaughey! He’s got to be super-attractive and we’ll have amazing chemistry and he’ll call me every day and buy me beautiful gifts! Unfortunately. who checked every box on her IML. While the show is ﬁttingly fantastical. with old money and an Upper East Side apartment. Low GI. ladies. a balding Jewish lawyer with a ﬂabby butt who speaks with his mouth full. Charlotte is happily married to Harry. the scenario proves a point. dark. But rewind a few years and she was married to Trey. So what kinds of things should you include on your IML? Here’s a sample list (written by my friend Belinda): • • • • • • Someone I miss Someone I want to sit close to on the couch Family values Mid to late thirties Real Strong
.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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The Chase Kind Caring Attentive to me Has goals and wants to share them and include a partner (me) Works—has a job/career Makes me happy Doesn’t make me cry/worry We can have great sex with each other My best friend Supportive of me Wants to look after me Alpha male A sweetheart Has eyes only for me Loves me at my best and worst Wants commitment Loyal Kind Generous Trustworthy Does NOT ﬂirt with everything in a miniskirt Makes me feel special when I’m around him Has good values Values me and everything I have to offer Thinks I am the best thing he’s ever laid eyes on Not a playboy Good at communication. but not overly sensitive.

join an internet dating site. If. You need to believe that he really and truly exists. then organise with your girlfriends to go there. Then rewrite your list from
. then continue to add and delete things from the list. Don’t forget about values—shared values is an important aspect of a relationship. Watch the pieces ﬂutter away and feel a sense of relief that you’re not tied to a piece of paper. Make sure that you include both physical and psychological traits. Belinda put hers underneath her bed. after a month has gone by. He needs to come to life inside your mind. Write everything down. Start saying yes to everything that you’re invited to. Some people like to put their list in their Blackberry so they have it with them at all times. go to swap meets and generally be proactive. Try talking to at least one male stranger this week—practice makes perfect! Ask friends if they know anyone like your ideal man. Picture where you might meet this man: imagine possible scenarios of where he might hang out. Don’t be embarrassed to say what you want. rip up your list. Whenever you read your list (which should be every night before you go to bed or every morning when you wake up) visualise your man. you are feeling disheartened. Remove the ‘fuck off ’ sign from your forehead and start responding to strangers. Others stick it on their bathroom mirror.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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Your own list needs to be extremely personal.

and keep having faith—if you believe in him. I actually made a dream board and spent countless hours doing kinesiology work with my boss and friend
. adding things that suddenly seem important or removing things that you no longer value. He is everything on the list!! I found that with the list I was more relaxed when I was out as I was clear about who to pay special attention to.140
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memory. but was worth the wait. Keep looking. and could relax when I knew ‘my man’ wasn’t in the room. Finally. he will come. I am indebted to you forever. here’s another true story that’s bound to encourage you to make your own IML. . I found that eliminating the possibility that I may meet someone interesting that evening let me have an even better time while I was out. This was her reply: Hey Sam. It was empowering! He is so beautiful and truly genuine. A few months after Belinda has written her IML. . I emailed her to ﬁnd out what happened. Thank you so much. I MET HIM!!!!!!!! It took a little longer than two weeks. I was thinking of emailing you the other day .

I wanted to ﬁnd someone who was in balance with me. We knew after two or three weeks that we loved each other and that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. research has discovered that there’s an untouched horde of single men sitting around in accounting ﬁrms! So. I spent two and a half years searching for him. and who I felt not only physically and emotionally attracted to but spiritually connected with. my career and my interests. including my passions. —Tess. change
. It was a cathartic and awesome process. eligible men don’t hang out at Pilates classes. and eventually ﬁgured out what I was looking for after some trial and error with a few other guys. Other than that. 30
Finding your ideal man
Single. we met through a mutual friend and made an immediate connection with one another. the nail salon or spray-tan booths. It just ﬁtted so perfectly. without judgment. who could accept me completely as I am. He actually lives in Canada and was visiting Australia on a working-holiday visa last year! Surprisingly. and as a result I found the guy who is perfect for me from all the way across the world. I wanted to be able to share everything with him.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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to make sure I was ready to receive my ideal man into my life. In fact.

Katherine Heigl married the gent she picked up after starring in his music video. Everyone has their own methodology for meeting someone of the opposite sex. straight and not a serial killer. According to Dave Singleton. recently revealed she wasn’t having much luck in the man department. If you have no idea where to begin your search. Mark Philippoussis went on a reality TV show. you’re not alone. Herein lies the ultimate question: where exactly do you ﬁnd a sensible. Gayle King. She put it down to the simple fact that she had no idea where to start looking for him! ‘There are plenty of men out there. And my beautician friend Karen tells me she met her match at a boxing match—he was the winner of the ﬁght. ‘You just need to know where to ﬁnd them. ringless date? It’s a question I’m often asked by women desperate to meet someone—anyone—who ﬁts their list of criteria. we need to follow the ﬁrst rule of ﬁshing: Go where the ﬁsh are.142
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your routine. stop hunting in packs of women. it seems they’re searching in the wrong places. author of the book Behind Every Great Woman Is A Fabulous Gay Man. Makes sense
.’ Yet from the hundreds of women I’ve spoken to. smarten up and go where the men are. if we want to ﬁnd a (straight) man. Even Oprah Winfrey’s best friend.’ Oprah’s range of dating experts encouraged Gayle. eligible. And remember: always have your ‘game face’ on. or is simply single. Here are my top tips for meeting a man.

Why? Because we’re all attracted to people who smile. MAN TIP: Men immediately compartmentalise women on the prowl in bars and clubs as someone they don’t want to date. Ladies. the gym.When singles stand in corners whingeing about their situation and looking glum. only to ﬁnd the bar ﬁlled with other prowling felines all batting their eyelashes at the one and only cute male in the room.
#49.
. it’s unlikely an eligible man (as least. Branch out! Go to sporting matches. who happens to be the bartender. So stand in the middle of the room. I’ve seen dolled-up. look in control of your life (especially if you feel you’re not) and I guarantee your luck will start to change. laugh and are conﬁdent in their own skin. conﬁdent women heading out in packs for girly cocktails in the hope of meeting the man of their dreams. learn French—go where the SOBER men are!
Stop whingeing and get off your couch
No-one ever met the love of their life by watching Grey’s Anatomy re-runs alone on a Saturday night. it’s time you headed out to straight-manfriendly environments. play tennis. dance by yourself.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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to me. not one that’s sober) is going to waltz up and ask to buy them a drink.

Plus there are plenty of hotties at the gym. you look good. Dance. Swim.
Run. Take a quick glance at any poll about what the opposite sex ﬁnds most attractive. not to be frightened of. and I’ll guarantee a sense of humour beats a tight butt every time. your conﬁdence increases and things spiral outwards from there. Make an effort to think outside the box.
. I beg you. stop being so serious. go salsa dancing. go to a bookstore—these are the places where you’re going to ﬁnd a likeminded and sober guy. there are better ways to meet people that don’t include drinking yourself into a stupor so that anything on two legs looks half decent. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym (quite frankly. working up a sweat induces endorphins. down at the beach or at the local swimming pool. Whatever!
Speaking of a tight butt. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Ladies. take a course in something you’re interested in. that gets rather boring) but thirty minutes a day will have you looking and feeling good. Besides. You feel good.
Get a sense of humour
I once dated a guy who I had to shake every so often in the hope of making him laugh. Take cooking lessons.144
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Stop trawling bars
A crowded bar that stinks of spilt beer and too many cigarettes is likely to turn any man off before he’s even set eyes on your little black dress and peep-toe heels. be able to laugh at yourselves.

While I admit there may not be suitable gents doing the downward dog.’ one sniffed.’ Karen exclaimed proudly when she showed me the rock on her ﬁnger.’
. there’s no point in ﬁshing in a ﬁshless pond. ‘Too sweaty. while strutting your stuff on the treadmill is the ideal oppurtunity to scope out the talent. I’ve even had a friend meet her future beau while waiting in line to use the water cooler after a pump session!
Places to go
Sporting events Ladies. And ‘there are no men in my yoga class!’ lamented another.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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Many singletons I’ve interviewed over the years have jettisoned the idea that you can meet someone at the gym. ‘There were all these sweaty men there and hardly any women. as much as we enjoy hitting the town with girlfriends for giggles and granitas. sharks and 8-balls? Of course. why not try the other areas of the gym? The weights are a perfect place to scope out potential talent (I’ve met at least two dates there). should you skip seeing the girly ﬂick with your gal pal in favour of having beers and hanging out with hustlers.’ ‘I met Jim at a boxing match. ‘Straight men hang out in a pool hall.’ says Dave Singleton. It was the perfect pick-up joint for the single gal. or learn how to play pool. Get tickets for the football instead. ‘After months of no dates.

it’s this: ALWAYS be prepared. You know that nightmare you have where you meet the man of your dreams when you’re not wearing any make-up and are dressed in your frumpiest yoga gear or your well-worn tracky daks and food-stained ugg boots? Well. That way. even if you’re rushing up to the grocery store to get some milk. if he is. a compact mirror. After all. Always carry lip-gloss.146
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Buying the milk You may not like me for what I’m about to tell you but if there’s one thing you should take from this book about meeting men. a hairbrush and breath mints in your handbag. you don’t want it to happen in real life. author Jennifer Cox asked her friends around the world to set her up on a blind date with one of their single friends. then your manhunting problem is solved!
. Just make sure he isn’t secretly in love with you and is trying to sabotage your game. While she didn’t ﬁnd the love of her life. you’re always prepared to meet someone. Get a wingman Never underestimate the power of a good wingman. Ask a friend In the brilliant book Around the World in 80 Dates. you’ve got to be in it to win it. and you’re into him too. Then again. she certainly met some very interesting characters.

you still don’t want to be hanging in the corner being as boring as bat shit. if you let him!
. . Remember. Even if you just say ‘hi’. Don’t be afraid to approach a guy.W H E RE A RE A LL TH E NICE G U YS HI D I N G?
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#50. CHASE TIP: While the aim is to get the man to chase you. men will do 90 per cent of The Chase work (because that’s what he’s born to do) . Don’t hide behind your glass of wine or your girlfriend’s hair extensions. the guy will do all the talking after that. .

Lulu began to think that this internet dating thing might not be such a good idea after all. she might have to date everyone on the entire website if that was what it was going to take. I’m a bit of a sex addict. Besides. ‘I have to let you know. eyeing her hungrily as he cut into his steak and let the juices run out. ‘I must warn you. She clicked on the website and scrolled through the proﬁles. NEXT. ask loads of questions and act so nonchalantly the men could almost swear she actually had a boyfriend. But we’re in the process of getting a divorce. come across as though she had no baggage. She’d been super careful with hers: she’d password-protected her photo (which she’d had professionally shot by the way). Or just wasn’t into marriage.A Cautionary Tale: Lulu
‘I like bigger girls. She was actually getting follow-up phone calls! And so far not one of the men had asked her outright for sex. I’m actually married. NEXT. she was starting to get the hang of this dating thing— smile politely.’ said Daniel the following night over Chinese. put that she was after ‘friendship’ as opposed to casual sex and avoided
. Hell. Why was it so bloody hard? Where were all the decent men? Should she just give up and accept the single life? No. don’t talk about her ex. be charming.’ Hank actually made the quotation gesture with his hands when he said ‘process’.’ John told Lulu. And maybe even another. She had to force herself to go on another date. As if that would soften the blow.

But if you have your IDEAL MAN LIST firmly planted in the back of your mind. I won’t take no for an answer. It was Chad. ‘I think I made the biggest mistake letting you go.
. you have to kiss (or at least have dinner with) a lot of frogs before you can ever find your prince. you know what you are looking for. as long as you play all your cards right. INTERNET DATING: Your profile is your weapon. . . And she was loving all the male attention. As she scrolled through the message in her inbox—many of them picture requests—her phone beeped with a text. Be sure to be super careful (and honest!) in everything you say. Your advertising slogan. You can meet the man of your dreams online . And you’re not going to settle for anything less. Don’t expect it to happen overnight.’ he wrote. KISSING FROGS: When meandering through the Dating Jungle.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : L U L U
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#51. kids or commitment. The way you project yourself to the world. write and put out there.
any mention of marriage. She was a new woman. ‘Please have dinner with me. but then a sneaky smile crept
#52.’ She was about to reply.

’ Lulu was saying what most women probably knew they were doing. LETTING GO OF CANDY MEN: When you are finally ready to let go of the toxic man (or men) in your life. Of
. but still couldn’t stop themselves falling into the trap.150
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across her face. nine times out of ten that’s the way it ends up. . so don’t treat him as one!
‘It’s working! I’ve realised the key to it all!’ Lulu told Jane. . that felt good. ‘Men see me sitting in the bar with a neon sign on my forehead saying “I’m easy”. And now he wanted her back. I’m getting totally fucked over by guys who are just out there to build up their “girls I’ve fucked” list. Of thinking he was going to come back to her. Of becoming the ‘bonk buddy’. He’d realised that she had emotionally cut all ties with him and gracefully (okay. Your high-GI man isn’t the last guy on the planet . He’d felt the sixth sense. so not so gracefully) exited his life stage left. And even though my head tells me I’m not one of those women. everything was making sense. ‘The way I project myself when I meet a man—it just makes me into game meat. Of waiting for his texts. God. She pressed the delete button on her phone. Poppy and Abigail over brunch at a café a few days later. Of having casual sex in the hope a relationship would develop from it.’ Finally. she thought.
#53. you will be surprised at what is lingering just around the corner.

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disbelieving he’d left her for his ex-girlfriend. I’m taking up hip-hop dancing classes and I love it. ‘But you know what I’ve realised? Every guy will give me that look— because every guy is looking for that quick score! So of course. Who’s up for cocktails?’ Poppy stabbed at her organic tofu slab for emphasis. all I ﬁnd are these complete assholes!’ She lowered her voice. I realised this is what it’s all about. Single life wasn’t actually too bad.
. who gives me that look. despite the fact he’d said he was into her.com and actually LIVING MY LIFE. Lulu smiled. when I go out looking for him. I went skydiving.’ Poppy said. And after nine dates on luv-topia. ‘Now. ‘I’m forgetting about these guys—I’m actually DOING IT! I’ve started focusing on my own life. let’s ditch this organic shit. All I could think about was whether I was missing out on meeting Mr Right. Skydiving! And now I’m on my way to getting my licence to jump on my own! I admit it was tough at ﬁrst.’ Lulu said. But after a while. I found the best joy in expanding my skills and knowledge and experiencing all life has to offer. ‘Proud of you babe.’ The girls applauded her. ‘I go out and my eyes are peeled for any guy who catches my eye back.

Mae West
.7
The man ‘chase-me’ plan
A man falls in love through his eyes. the next one may fall for your smile.
Woodrow Wyatt
Don’t cry for a man who’s left you. a woman through her ears.

you’ve got yourself a date!
. but you’ll run the risk of rebounding right back into his caddish arms. Get edgier and sexier. A highwaisted skirt. Accept the past for what it is and move forward. and you’re out on the prowl for the ﬁrst time since you can remember and you’ve got no idea how to navigate the treacherous waters of dating. 3. plus some subtle highlights and a sharp haircut can do wonders for your self-esteem. Cut out hairstyles. 2. ‘Take me for lunch’. take that as a sign he’s interested. You’ve probably got most of the staples in your wardrobe already. he was only after one thing. a satin shirt and knee-high boots. If he agrees. Change your look. Well. Get over your exes. I’m talking about all of them. Stop holding on to the one that broke your heart and cut him out of your life for good. I offer you my top ﬁve Single Girl Sex-Ed tips: 1. don’t fret just yet. outﬁts and make-up looks from magazines and keep them in a folder for reference purposes. without becoming sluttish or skimpy. it’s just about changing the way you wear them.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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So. If a man you meet at a bar is licking his lips at the sight of your cleavage. tell him this instead: ‘Why don’t you take me for lunch tomorrow?’ If he recoils. now you’re a single girl again. Know that people come in and out of your life for good reasons: to teach you lessons and to help you grow. Staying stuck on your ex will not only hinder you from meeting someone else. But when he asks you to go home with him.

smart and. I’m sure you know by now that being on the Pill doesn’t prevent you from catching an STD.154
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4. is quick-witted. condoms do fail around 2 per cent of the time). Instead of hiding her ﬁgure under baggy clothing or wearing all-black ensembles that make her look as if she’s
.10 That’s one whopping stat. you need to take EXTRA precautions. No matter how drunk you are. It wreaks havoc on your hormones and messes up your cycle. If something goes drastically wrong (and yes. so always. There’s a woman I know—let’s call her Jill—who has men fawning over her left. Which means that when you’re engaging in casual sex.
Conﬁdence equals sex appeal
The top turn-on for men is a conﬁdent woman who is comfortable in her own skin. 5. fun to be around. She has short blonde hair and works as a psychologist. She’s also slightly overweight and busty. Know where your nearest twenty-four-hour chemist is—and make sure you ask a friend to drive you there if you’re intoxicated. right and centre. then you need to be prepared. or get a taxi—and ask for the MorningAfter Pill. Unwanted pregnancy. Note: beware of using this as a regular tactic. above all. Nothing beats it. One in ﬁve: that’s how many people in the world that carry a viral STD. always use a condom. Watch out for STDs.

Jill’s mantra is to embrace her curves. They don’t give a toss. Not only is Jill not shy about talking to men but the atmosphere about her in a room makes men want to
. And that is conﬁdence. Jill’s wearing ﬂattering girly dresses with a hint of cleavage that is never vulgar or over the top. but someone who has something more going on than the simple search for a man. She doesn’t overdo it with make-up. Without being arrogant or up herself. Whenever I see her out. Jilll exudes that one thing the entire male species ﬁnds more of a turn-on than anything else a woman could dish up in the bedroom or in the kitchen. CONFIDENCE AND DEPTH ARE KEY: ALL the men I’ve interviewed say she doesn’t have to be the HOTTEST woman in the room. They’re drawn to her energy. she’s simply well-groomed and interesting to talk to.
permanently on her way to a funeral. Or her height. Instead of being depressed over the fact that her abs don’t resemble Miranda Kerr’s or her legs are way shorter than a supermodel’s. her pizzazz and her va va voom. she projects her other. fake tan or false nails.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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#54. She gives life a go. Or the fact that she isn’t the best-looking woman in the club. As a result. better features to the world. no man has ever turned Jill down on account of her weight.

She knows how to turn on the feminine charm. ever. if you’re hung up about the three kilos you need to lose off your butt. of having colourful friends and enjoying the world for all it has to offer. We all have limiting beliefs about ourselves—‘When I lose ﬁve kilos I will meet a man’. The truth is. I’ll say it again so it gets into your gorgeous head and stays there: conﬁdence is the biggest turn-on. If this rings true for you.156
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approach her. The reason I’m sharing Jill’s story with you is to show how when we have self-conﬁdence good things will follow. So get some. The greatest aphrodisiac. no matter how much cleavage you’re sporting. Start concocting your man plan today. your boobs. and she knows the difference between slutty. Men love the fact that she has a life of her own and they wonder how they might ﬁt into it. ‘If I had more money I would be able to afford a personal trainer and new outﬁts and a better hairstyle and then I’ll meet a man’—but getting stuck on that merry-goround of what ifs is boring. then you need to get rid of those limiting beliefs right this minute. or if you’re self-conscious about your skin. men will sense it. And no man is going to be attracted to that.
. your hair. Jill makes a point of doing crazy. Start living your life. sleazy and being a Wonder Woman—the one who keeps men wondering. she knows how to ﬂirt like a pro. ‘When I get a new job I will meet a man’. whatever. wonderful things.

Weapons of mass seduction
These can be classiﬁed as anything that makes a man notice you before you’ve noticed him. Seal. HOW TO OOZE AS MUCH CONFIDENCE AS A VICTORIA’S SECRET ANGEL: I recently interviewed ﬁve of the hottest women in the world: the Victoria’s Secret Angels. but ‘confidence and someone being comfortable in their own skin’. Heidi Klum mentioned that one of the reasons she is so happy to diet and exercise like a raging lunatic is to impress her husband. But. which. perfectly toned pins and not an ounce of cellulite on their perky butts. Or anything that
. said that what turns her on in a man isn’t looks or the size of his wallet. additionally. caused some hair loss. has serious facial scars as a result of discoid lupus. Marisa Miller. they’re all just girls who’ve had to overcome insecurities of their own.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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#55. Not that she gives a toss. who by the way. They’ve been labelled freaks of nature for having ample cleavage. They’re every man’s fantasy and every woman’s worst nightmare to be standing next to. Maxim magazine’s hottest woman of 2008. in the end.

However. and is guaranteed to get a man’s attention immediately. but that’s not what I’m saying at all. Showing a bit of cleavage will make you feel feminine and gorgeous. white (light and purity). there’s an ingenious new invention known as ‘cleavage cupcakes’ or ‘chicken ﬁllets’ that can increase your bra size within seconds!
. liberated and conﬁdent—if it’s done correctly. If you’re self-conscious about your ﬂat chest. ‘Men are attracted to red because it’s the power of sex! Unconsciously. it reminds them of the blood ﬂow to erogenous zones associated with arousal. Women often say they don’t want to have to bare their tits to snag a man. I’m merely putting it out there that cleavage can make YOU feel more sexy. then you are!
Anything red
According to my life-coach friend Alina Berdichevsky. that can be quite masculine at a subconscious level as it screams action! The colours that men perceive subliminally as feminine are black (depth and mystery). pink (love and softness). If you believe it.158
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makes you feel like you’re the sexiest woman in the room. There are no two ways about it.’
Subtle cleavage
And I do mean SUBTLE.

Two sprays of scent on your pulse points is enough . slim your waist and make your legs look inches longer. Leave something to the imagination and keep them wondering what’s underneath. but high heels also do something no diet is able to do: they elevate your butt. while a liquorice scent gets the female pheromones going at full speed.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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#56. give us bunions. don’t overdo it!
High heels
I know they’re uncomfortable as hell. MAN TIP: DON’T HAVE IT ALL HANGING OUT Dress like a slut and they’ll treat you like an appetizer. . so wear one at all times!
.
A winning smile
Nothing beats a friendly smile.
Spray to play
Smell good! Experts claim that men are attracted to women who smell of cinnamon and vanilla. You might want to do a little baking before you head out the door for a big night out—just don’t spill any ﬂour on your new frock. sore arches and blisters on our heels. .

She stopped me dead in my tracks.’—Tim ‘A bit of modesty goes a long way. I can tell each of these apart and can ﬁnd any woman wearing any of them in a club from the other side of the room—drives me wild. J’Adore. All you women out there still wearing Red Door are doing yourselves a disservice—ditch it. Wearing these distinct scents also helps us fellers with a conversation starter. Not one that overpowers. I go ga ga. You don’t need to show off tattoos and you don’t need to wear very little to emphasise curves.160
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From the Male Room
‘Hard to go past a really. go for Dune by Christian Dior or Versace Crystal Noir. rather one that invites people to linger.’—LG ‘A woman in high heels who knows how to walk properly in them. A lady where I buy my lunch recently wore J’Adore. It’s a dangerous scent. If you want a classic. Ahhh. really great scent. My wife wears J’Adore.’—Michael ‘Scent gets me every time. go the Versace Woman. When a women passes me on the street and she is wearing it. For the younger. All you have to do is wear it well. A hint of stocking tops on a
.’—Martial ‘My favourite is the fragrance Narcisco Rodriguez— the scent is enchanting and will leave you spellbound.

author of The Game. The S-Word. Just pick topics other than your sorry single life. on how to talk to a man. Being able to talk easily to men is really just a matter of putting together a few clever. Certainly not what I was expecting.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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suit-attired woman is enough to make my knees go. If you can pull it off. The man who greeted me inside his LA mansion was short. As much as people bemoan the fashion industry. it’s hot. the thing lately seems to be girly headbands. I decided to get some tips from Neil Strauss. they know what we want. Keep it coming. original opening lines and then being willing to go out there and put them into practice. Trashy knee-high ugg boots with denim minis are guaranteed melters for me as well. Although I’ve read all Neil’s books. But when he took me out that night to show me his pick-up skills in action. while I was in LA shooting my television show. Recently.’—GAE
Give good conversation
Men aren’t averse to interesting banter and witty conversation. I was blown away. and supposedly the world’s number-one pick-up artist. I’d never seen a picture of him and so didn’t have a clue what he was going to look like.
.’—Dean ‘Girls who know how to accessorise! At one point recently it was fashion belts to accentuate supple hips. completely bald and was wearing dagger earrings in both ears.

Field report: 24 December 2008
Outﬁt: thigh-hugging minidress in crimson red Cleavage: check High heels: YSL platforms Make-up: subtle yet sexy Hair: tousled. We sat down with vodkas and sodas and his pick-up game began. I told my friend Carmen about my newfound pick-up artistry skills.’ answered the cute one standing next to me. Nor the fact that he had just spouted a line directly from his book. ‘just fucked’ look Associates: Hot girlfriend. He wasn’t the least bit intimidated by the fact that they were accompanied by two men. I listened intensely to all his advice and watched him closely. The two guys next to us were paying for a couple of weird mahogany-coloured shots. ‘So are you two sisters?’ he asked two Indian girls who sat down on the couch adjacent to us. When I returned to Sydney.162
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Our ﬁrst stop was The Standard. It was us against the world. ‘What is that?’ I asked them. ‘It’s a jagerbomb and orange juice. We decided to try them it out in the ﬁeld. Carmen Mission: to meet men Carmen and I walked into the pub like we owned the joint.
.We headed over to the bar to order ourselves some drinks: peach bellinis all round.

’ the cute guy said to his friend as he ﬂashed me a cheeky grin. it not only flatters his ego. . I’d learnt from Neil that I had to act quickly. you’re funny. are you guys like twelve?’ ‘Oooh . but he immediately puts you in the non-desperate female category. .TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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‘Jagerbombs?’ I said with a frown. what’s wrong with jagerbombs? They’re really cool and get you drunk super fast. this one’s feisty.’ ‘You do that. A group of guys turned to look at us and I noticed one who looked exactly like Jude Law.
. we started to giggle over something someone across the pub was wearing. ‘What . ‘Sorry about being loud. Here was my chance. MAN TIP: ASKING A MAN A QUESTION IS THE BEST OPENING LINE If you ask him his opinion on something. but we’re just complaining because my friend went on a date the other night and the bill came to $150 and the guy made her pay! What do you think of that?’ I asked. we should meet up later on. . Bingo! You’re immediately in!
After we strategically placed ourselves in the centre of the room.
#57. Hey. not cool. Carmen laughed.’ I said. . ‘Hey. Waiting around to say a line suddenly begins to look creepy. I’ll come and ﬁnd you.

‘Thank you. As I bent down to pick up my iPhone and hairbrush. Carmen and Jude’s friend were kissing. I smiled back.’ he said. But tell me more—what happened?’ Bingo.’
. After a while. handing me my blush brush. Then I spotted him: my ex. Mission accomplished. good-looking man.’ chimed in the cute guy’s friend. good on him!’ he said. ‘Why? Then we wouldn’t have run into each other like this. it’s pretty bad. I started to explain how Carmen had given the guy a second chance. ‘I think. ‘You should be more careful. (True story!) ‘Now that’s just lame. grinning like an idiot.164
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Jude came over. Not my ex. I bumped heads with an incredibly tall. He sat down next to Carmen and they began to chat.’ he said in an incredibly cute accent. but then he sent her a bill for half the cost of the romantic weekend they went away on together.’ My cheeks turned the exact shade of my Nars Orgasm blush. while I struck up a conversation with Jude. ‘Actually no. who’d also come over. I took a step back and surveyed my work. ‘You dropped this. Suddenly I lost a grip on my handbag and its entire contents poured out onto the ﬂoor of the bar—my MAC pressed powder cracked into a thousand pieces. laughing.

I’ve got to get my brother a birthday present—can you tell me where you got it? Do you have any other suggestions?’ ‘What are you drinking? Looks good. went out the back and called a friend to pick her up! Should she give this guy another chance?’ ‘Hey. but I can’t be sure because I haven’t actually read it!’
•
• •
•
How to tell if he’s into you
So you’ve met someone—hooray! But is he really into you? Or is he only after one thing? Gauging his interest can be one tricky feat. nice jacket.’ ‘Have you guys read that pick-up book The Game? Because I think someone just tried one of those lines on me. So she put the money on the table. . . Anthropologist David Givens. my friend here just took a bet with me to ﬁnd out which of you guys are single .’ (To a group of guys) ‘Hey. Experts reckon the key to telling whether a person is interested in you is to look at their shoes.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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Pick-up lines that work
• ‘Can we ask you guys your opinion on something? My girlfriend just went on a date and the guy refused to pay any of the bill. author of Love Signals: A Practical Field Guide to the Body Language of Courtship. says the ‘toes-turned-in posture occurs when someone
.

our eyebrows rise and fall. Instead watch for these signs:
Signs he likes what he sees
• The eyebrow ﬂash.
•
• •
. ladies.’ he writes. sexual signals in the form of body language are nothing new.”’11 According to Britain’s Social Issues Research Centre.’ says dating expert Tracey Cox.12 In other words.166
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feels both smitten and somewhat intimidated by you. I won’t bite. These boil down to the message: “I am harmless. the size of his own pupils will increase. He’ll ﬁx his tie. ‘When we ﬁrst see someone we’re attracted to. who considers the move a crucial telltale sign of interest. we are no different than beasts. a whopping 93 per cent of our communication is actually through our gestures. he’ll subconsciously point his feet towards yours. pull up his socks or jut out his chest. when it comes to the silent signs of sexual attraction. and he’ll blink a lot. ‘For the past 500 million years. every member of the animal kingdom has utilized certain signals to communicate their interest in mating. you shouldn’t listen to a darn word he’s saying. He’ll stare at your mouth. ‘For all of our technological advances and psychological insights.’ That’s right. By Givens’s reckoning. if a man has the hots for you. If he likes what he sees. he’ll stare intensely at your eyes.

CHASE TIP: If a man asks for your number without attempting to get you back to his place . enjoyed an evening of witty banter and both seem keen to do it again. there’s loads of scientiﬁc research to back up the theory. who should ask for whose number? I’ve noticed a whole lot of hoo-ha and confusion over the number swap. .
#58. shifting their eye contact. Apparently when people cover their mouths it’s a sign they’re uncomfortable about what they’re saying. you know he’s interested in more than just a one-night stand. sweating. Sprung! It’s not only Bill who proves this point. then immediately reached up and touched his nose. .
The great number swap
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•
Want to tell if he’s lying? Number-one red ﬂag is face touching. Do you take his number? Or does he get yours? Who is expected to call ﬁrst?
. When Bill Clinton was questioned over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

he’ll ask for your phone number and actually put it to good use. if he wants to see you again.168
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My opinion is that according to the normal progression of The Chase. I need a woman who
. if you’re in the situation where you have the number of a man you’re really into but who hasn’t yet called you. had a great night last night too. . .
From the Male Room
‘Women are hopeless with numbers. If she calls. it’s Jane. Problem solved! Now he has your number—all he has to do is use it. catch up soon!’ The guy you’re really trying to get hold of might text back something like: ‘I think you have the wrong number. you can try this little text trick. I bet you know the answer to that one by now. Text him something sexy but pretend it was for another guy. or ask for his. he’ll ﬁnd you somehow. So don’t stress about whether or not you should offer your number. Who is this?’ And then you write back: ‘Oh. Something like: ‘Hey J. However. sorry. really like. and then he’ll want to start to ﬁght for you. So if she’s a girl I really. well. If he wants you. then I’ll refuse to take her number and give her mine instead. I know she’s the one for me. Who’s this?’ Naturally he’ll be intrigued because men love competition. And if he doesn’t .

It’s still just part of The Chase. If there is no call it has more chance of ruining The Chase. Just because a girl calls doesn’t mean that she’s yours. If I get the sense she isn’t that personality type.’—Jet ‘I usually take a woman’s number because it gives me the choice of calling her or not. Women never call. then I’ll always swap—but only so it feels democratic. we think it’s smoking hot.’—Lance ‘It’s not the call that ruins The Chase. It says that she’s not afraid to ask for what she wants and she doesn’t subscribe to what she’s “supposed” to do. We both know it’s more about me getting her number and I always expect that I’ll be the one to call if I want to. With this so-called man drought guys have it too easy these days. it’s the content of that call that either ruins The Chase or perpetuates it.’—Glenn ‘If a woman calls a man. These days a lot of guys lose interest if there’s no call and will just move on to another challenge.’—Gary ‘Don’t worry about who takes the number down.TH E M A N ‘CH A SE -M E ’ PL AN
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doesn’t live in fear and goes for what she wants. they want to be called.’—Tanc
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If you do. you’re doing that exact same thing and that maybe you’ll see him there. Ask him along to some fabulous event that you and your friends are going to anyway.’ This way there’s no date. I once tried this out on a guy and it worked wonders. that I brought along plenty of girlfriends and we made a night of it. and you’re not waiting all night for him to rock up because you’re too busy with your mates to actually give a toss. is that him walking in the door. then great. ‘I’m going to this awesome party tomorrow night. and so on. The key here is not to tell your friends the entire story. And if he doesn’t. then it’s his loss because you had a great night anyway. If he arrives. often) men have trouble spitting out the words ‘Want to go on a date tonight?’ If you want to move things along. they’ll be asking you every minute whether or not he’s coming. miraculously. rather than it being lonely old me turning up and chasing the
. the best way to do so is by cleverly suggesting a pseudo-date. Just keep your mouth shut about it and have the view that if he comes. bonus! If not.’ you tell him.170
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How to ask him out without him knowing
Sometimes (okay. I made sure. he’s not coming alone. ‘You should come— invite your friend along too. you’ve had a great time. Another approach is to ask him what he’s doing on the weekend and then tell him that. however.

And yes. It was a well-known event—there were heaps of people there. but it never occurred to me until recently that it could be taken as strange or surprising if a girl goes ahead and asks. when I casually asked him if he thought it was odd that I showed up at the exact same party he was at. After a few months.’—Peter
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man in question. but have only come across one woman who was conﬁdent enough to do it. ‘No.’—Ashok ‘Women asking men out? There’s a better chance of winning lotto. The rest. I realise that generally it falls on the guys to do the asking. I’m all for it. he replied. they seem to like being chased. and the power/ position that comes with it. It was great that you were there too. Why should it be so unusual for girls to take initiative from time to time? I know it’s incumbent on the guys to do the approaching but it’s almost always the girl who decides if something will happen.’
From the Male Room
‘I don’t think it’s odd at all for a girl to ask a guy out. we ended up dating.

And The Chase will be flipped faster than you can wonder why he hasn’t texted you . these days you’re hot property. you will be surprised at what you start to attract into your life. being a hot date when there
. How you project yourself to the world will take on a colossal shift that you never thought possible. Become the Wonder Woman. ﬁnancial and emotional independence and—bonus—are in no rush to get married. desperate and destined to stay alone.172
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#59. .
Sex and the single mum
A quick word to single mums: don’t despair. because probably many men already have . YOU ARE PRIORITY #1. the ideal girl that men would love to date. .The idea that women with kids are second-hand goods no longer applies. . Gone are the days when single mums were portrayed as sad. and let’s not forget the appeal of all that sexual experience! While Hollywood’s single mums have no shortage of men to date (Ashton Kutcher rushed to embrace Demi Moore’s three kids as his own. Believe it or not. Now they come with established careers. let’s not forget that for the rest of the world. . while Brad Pitt adopted both of Angelina Jolie’s). NOT A MAN!
When you start focusing on growing yourself as a person.

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are bills to pay. All agree on one thing: dating again after a long-term relationship is damn tough. divorcees and older singletons who ﬁnd yourselves dating again. there’s good news up ahead. washing to unload and babies to feed is often no easy feat. ‘At my age. a 41-year-old mum and regular blogger. mingle and get rehitched than botoxed faces on Desperate Housewives. ‘Dating again’ is a topic that’s hotly debated in my column by a whole range of readers.
. Plus there’s the added pressure of choosing a man without a hidden agenda.’ she says. I’m much more aware of the game. especially when you’ve got a ﬂock of kids. ‘The men of my age seem to ﬁt into the categories of serial players that have suddenly realised they are ageing and want to grab on to anything that looks halfway decent. and are trying to get back at their ex-wives!’
Sex after forty: Because you’re worth it!
Dumpees. from single mums to jaded ex-wives and long-time lovers who have been tossed out onto the street without warning. says her toughest challenge is trying to juggle a new relationship with her sixteen-year-old daughter. a load of baggage and more skeletons in your closet than Colin Farrell does. or they have been battered and bruised in a marriage break-up. J. There are now more ways for you to meet.

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‘How in the world do I get back into the dating game when I don’t even know the rules any more?’ laments Kylie. ‘I’ve been married to the same man for a decade and suddenly I’m back on the singles scene. What’s a gal to do?’ Fear not, Kylie, because get this: Tatler magazine reports that divorcees have never been so hot. ‘Gone are the days when divorced women were viewed as social pariahs . . . They have turned the tables on the stereotype of the pinched, lonely woman desperate to get remarried; they have proved that single life can be even more exciting second time around.’13 Hooray! And Tatler’s secret to post-divorce dating? ‘Get back into the saddle as quickly as possible.’ Think Elle Macpherson striding along in her leathers, Brad Pitt jet-setting around the globe with rainbow family in tow, and Jessica Simpson roller-skating in hot shorts and a bikini top on the set of her latest music video. Grrr. When my author friend Bronwyn Marquardt found herself back in the singles boat after ten years of marriage, she refused to allow herself to wallow in it. ‘Instead, I put the emphasis on getting back out there and meeting people—women as well as men, people from different walks of life. I took invitations that I normally wouldn’t take, and went to parties/functions alone. I had some great adventures and did meet some people that way. Including men.’ Still, with the dating rules shifting faster than Shane Warne’s romp buddies, when you’ve been out of the

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loop for years (even decades), it’s kind of hard to keep up. Questions that often come up are: Who initiates contact? When does sex come into it? Is marriage still on the cards a second (or third) time around? And where do you meet all these ‘dating again’ singles anyway? Well, that’s where the internet comes in.There’s been an explosion of new-fangled dating services designed with the ‘dating again’ patron in mind. For those of you who aren’t afraid to log on for love—and how many time-poor, workaholic, shy singles are there who won’t welcome the chance to let their ﬁngers do the talking?— try www.i-dont.com.au, a new dating site that’s getting ‘dating again’ singles into a each other’s inboxes. And don’t be shy. Even newly single Hollywood starlet Uma Thurman has decided internet dating is the way to go.

A Cautionary Tale: Jane
As Jane left work for the day—she now worked at a television studio in Los Angeles—she realised that all her girlfriends were now single. And then she thought about the Producer. She hadn’t heard from him in months yet knowing that she’d been one of many women to fall for his tricks still made her feel queasy. But she wouldn’t allow herself to get back into that funk. Not again. Ever. Or so she thought. A cold breeze blew against the back of her neck as she made her way down to Sprinkles Cupcakes, her favourite shop in the entire city. She bought herself a cinnamon sugar cupcake and took a slow bite, allowing the warm, velvety taste to slowly melt onto her tongue. She wanted to savour every last bit and the feeling she got from the cupcake was the same high she felt whenever she’d received a text from the Producer.
#60. YOU’RE A TEXT-ADDICT: When you are continually and desperately waiting and hankering after that next text from a man, it’s not them you’re attracted to, it’s the addiction and the sugar rush you get from the tiny little envelope popping up in your phone. Don’t mistake it for love. It’s nothing but infatuation.

Since the Producer had stopped contacting her, Jane needed to get her sugar ﬁx from somewhere else. Cupcakes were the next best thing.

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‘Couldn’t wait till you were outside the shop, eh?’ A man’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts. Jane turned and came face to face with a tall, broad-shouldered, youngish-looking man with tousled brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She instantly recognised him. Duncan, her high-school sweetheart. Her ﬁrst kiss (behind the gym—clichéd, she knew). Her very ﬁrst boyfriend, who had given her a single red rose, and who she’d dumped at the bus stop after deciding she wanted to focus on her exams rather than on dating. ‘Oh my God, Duncan! You look amazing!’ ‘Right back at ya, Janey.’ She felt a tingle in her spine. ‘How good are these cupcakes, huh?’ she asked. Duncan pointed at his teeth and pulled a grimace. ‘Er . . . you’ve got some . . .’ ‘Oh!’ Jane put her hand in front of her mouth and ran her tongue along her teeth. She could feel the bits of cupcake wedged between her front teeth. ‘How embarrassing!’ ‘Rough day at work, huh?’ ‘Oh, you have no idea.’ Jane smiled. Duncan offered her a bit of his chocolate marshmallow cupcake. She couldn’t resist. ‘I love a girl who likes her chocolate,’ he said conspiratorially. ‘Diets are so last season.’ Jane giggled. ‘So, I hear you’re a hot-shot reporter now, Janey? Always knew you’d make it big time,’ he said, smiling. ‘It’s no big deal. Just like any job, I guess. Although I do get to meet cool people. What about you? What’s your story?’

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And hold on, what the hell are you doing in LA? And at my cupcake store? she thought. ‘Well, I’ve actually moved. I’m now living between New York and London, stopping off here for a few days. I’m actually stalking you. I knew you worked around here. I read about you in the school graduate newsletter.’ Duncan winked. God, he looked cute when he talked, Jane thought. ‘Let me guess . . . are you a pilot?’ Jane asked, dismissing his comment, although she couldn’t help but wonder if it might be true. She kind of hoped it was. ‘Ha. Nothing as exciting as that. Hedge Fund manager. Pretty dry actually. But hey, it pays the bills.’ ‘Wow!’ Jane replied, hoping she didn’t sound too interested. God, he was cute. And tanned. And sexy. ‘I always knew you’d do something awesome and businessy,’ she said, remembering his prowess in maths. He’d always helped her out with equations; maths was never her strong point. He laughed. ‘Speaking of calories, I was just about to head off to lunch at The Ivy.You should join me.’ Ooh, The Ivy. Now she’d have to go! What could be the harm anyway? She hadn’t been out alone with a man since that awful experience with the Producer. Yes, she would go. Duncan was familiar, and deﬁnitely cuter than she’d remembered, even if it was in an accountant sort of way. After a delectable lunch of crispy crab cakes, spinach linguine, too many wines for a Monday afternoon and scintillating conversation, Jane agreed to go on a second ‘date’ with Duncan. And then a third.

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Before she knew it, they were a couple. Without any drama! He was normal. And stable. He didn’t have a gaggle of women on speed dial, and he called her when he said he would. She had a boyfriend. A real live, kind, doting man who was everything she wanted. She was hopelessly and romantically in love. For real this time. She almost forgot about the Producer. Almost . . .

Sex and the City
. author of Check. Either it’s about trying to get to the next level or it’s about trying to get laid.8
Modern dating
Dating is one of two things.
Janice Dickinson. some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies. Please! Dating. Mating and Extricating
Some people are settling down.

‘But what if I don’t have anything to talk about?’ she said. we’re just having a normal conversation. But she was acting EXACTLY how she needed to act on her date the following evening. She glanced at the photo and saw how at ease she looked and something clicked inside her head. She was talking in a soft voice. demure and classy. We were sitting over dinner and wine after we’d attended a red-carpet event. or desperately wondering if I’d be the perfect person to parent her future offspring. ‘Well.M ODE RN DATIN G
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The ﬁrst date
So you’ve ditched the whole casual sex notion and put yourself into potential girlfriend material category. ‘Did you worry you’d have nothing to talk about with me?’ I asked her. took a photo and placed it in her hand. It was her ‘aha’ dating moment. asking lots of questions and listening intently to what I had to say in response.’
. ladies. She wasn’t nervous or putting on an act. ‘This is how you need to act on the date. Thank goodness. So I took out my digital camera. that you have found yourself with an invitation for a real ﬁrst date! Woohoo! But where do you go from here? How do you act? The other night I was with a girlfriend who asked me these exact questions. She looked absolutely stunning—relaxed.’ I told her. no. Which means.

Trust me.’— Been There. would you like to have a cheeky chardonnay and watch it with me?’—Ari Gold ‘The ﬁrst date is exciting and I enjoy it. I like planning a great night out. The only tricky thing is working out if and when that ﬁrst kiss should happen. Done That
. would you like to join me? I want to see this ﬁlm at Gold Class . think about what normal conversation entails and bring that to the table. . .
From the Male Room
‘I love ﬁrst dates. End it as quickly as possible. WONDER WOMAN TIP: Never talk about your ex on the first date! For some reason men abhor this more than if you talk about your wedding plans and the perfect white dress. Give him a turn at taking the lead too. .182
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‘Well. What I like to do is invite someone along to something that I want to do anyway. But I kind of like that too. I want to go and hit some golf balls at the driving range and then go to dinner . so she feels special. If it’s awkward it’s not right. guys have plenty to say.’
#61. . For example.

they judge with their eyes. it may be time to pull up your dating socks.’—Gary
Ten things he notices about you on the date
These days. he’s either just horny and desperate or boring. (Women judge with their ears. I have no ﬁrst dates. I simply hang out and keep it natural. only that I’ve taken care of all the decisions and that she’s going to enjoy the surprise. I do things that are either free or really cheap and keep it on neutral territory so that the woman feels totally comfortable and unobliged. It’s the equivalent of trying to play poker when everyone knows your hand. Still. although shoes are
. a ﬁrst date can feel more like a gruelling job interview for a role you’re not even sure you want to apply for in the ﬁrst place. Dress for yourself Men are visual creatures. So if you really want to get that follow-up phone call. Once she knows. no expectations. A guy always has to keep the woman guessing as to his feelings about her. 1.M ODE RN DATIN G
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‘A successful date is an oxymoron. I also tell her absolutely nothing about my plans. So for me. Once mutual interest has been verbalised. it evaporates. there are a few obvious turn-offs that you want to avoid at all costs.

or bringing up topics that make you seem like the perfect wife. written by my friend Donna Sozio and titled Never Trust a Man in Alligator Loafers.184
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crucial too—his shoes. If you look like a meal on a platter about to be served up to him—that is. Settle down. 2. Relax. cleavage. dress like you would if you were going out on the town with your girlfriends. Hide your intentions Before you even sit down to a glass of champagne together. And don’t be surprised if he makes a quick exit out the back door. But that’s a whole different book. he’s wondering whether you’re sizing him up as future husband material. It’s boring. or asking questions to suss out his views on parenting. too much make-up and not enough class—he’s immediately going to put you into the ‘trying too hard to impress me’ category. There’s no challenge. And listen up: if you are. Follow the same mantra here and view the date as a chance for you to size him up. He’ll pick on the way you’re ﬂirting heavily with him. He’s moving on.You’re not trying to woo them—you’re trying to look sexy for yourself. showing too much leg. he’s going to smell your desperation from a mile away. Instead of the skimpy outﬁt.Take a deep breath in and think of yourself as the ultimate CoverGirl—‘easy. breezy and beautiful’.
.

have passions. their interest—and their nether region—is piqued. Be able to hold an intelligent conversation I’m not telling you that you need to be able to quote the latest stock market options or give your view on the war in Iraq or explain why a stimulus package might be good for the economy. after one or two questions the conversation should ﬂow spontaneously. No longwinded stories necessary. imagine what it’d be like for him if he had to listen to you harp on about
. dance classes. Speciﬁcally about themselves.M ODE RN DATIN G
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3. Save those for the honeymoon. the movies. All I’m saying is that when men view you as a woman they could learn something from. Don’t rehearse ‘There’s nothing worse than a woman with a seemingly rehearsed list of questions to ask on the date. Women who can just go with the spontaneous ﬂow of things are the best dates. Suddenly they not only want to get into your pants. goals and dreams (over and above wanting a man) and that your social calendar includes more than man-hunting— the opera.’ says one gent. While I usually like to have around three interesting questions or topics to talk about in the back of my mind. whatever. While you might ﬁnd this mightily boring. but they’d like to hang out with you too because you’re interesting. 4. Interesting means that you’re well-travelled. Listen Men love to talk. 5.

STEAK IS ON ORDER (WANT TO IMPRESS A MAN? ORDER THE STEAK!)
Want to attract a man on the ﬁrst date? Order the steak. I really think he could be “the one”. so do you have a second date?’ I asked.
. 6. ‘We have the exact same goals—it’s unbelievable. low maintenance and not afraid to show her tomboyish side. as well as a cheap date.’ ‘Okay. keep a date and even be proposed to by their date. if women mention in their online proﬁles or on the ﬁrst date that they like steak. who told me about a brilliant date she once had with a man who had the same views on marriage as her. they’re more likely to nab a date. Apparently a woman ordering steak on a ﬁrst date proves she’s ‘unpretentious and down to earth and un-neurotic’. Don’t share your thoughts on marriage I was speaking to Abigail.
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your period pains or your girlfriend’s man problems the entire night! So cut him some slack. listen intently to what he has to say and ask questions pertinent to what he’s telling you. ‘He also wants to get married and have a family sometime soon!’ she gushed to me. as long as they don’t end up with meat between their teeth. According to a story in New York Times.

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‘Well. He said he was seeing some other younger girl. no. 7.’ she replied. we have all the same goals! We have the same ideals! I know I can get him! I’m even hotter than he is in the looks department. Get the picture? Abigail thought this man was interested in marriage and wanted the same things she did. Well. er. hold on just a minute. 100 per cent of them—said that when a woman harps on about her ex on the ﬁrst date. Don’t bring your ex on the date Every single man I interviewed—yes. then he hasn’t asked Abigail out again. So in reality.
. Often. then she’s setting herself up as damaged goods. not his words? If we judge this man by his actions. He said he wants to get married soon—how good is that?’ Hmm. he’s bluntly told her that he’s dating someone else. Even if he asks. But still. While it might be an obvious topic of conversation to you. men will express their ideas about big issues like marriage and kids as a test to see if this is a woman he could actually have a relationship with—without all the pressures that go along with it. Who’s younger and whose biological clock isn’t going off. or even mentions him. simply say. In fact. ‘That’s the weird thing. Remember Warning Sign #1: Always judge a man by his actions. articulating your longterm hopes to a man is the one thing likely to make him run away. for him it’s dead freaking boring.

‘I’m really busy with work in the next few weeks
. But if you keep true to yourself and don’t harbour too many expectations. Women who don’t have a preoccupation with their phone are a rare and preferable breed indeed. ‘It was nice seeing you’.’ You may be the ﬁrst woman ever to have said that to him and he’ll be mightily impressed. saying goodbye is often the trickiest part. and cell phones are deﬁnitely among them. thank him for dinner and say you had a great time.’ one guy told me. If he asks you when you’re free to meet again.’ another guy said. say. Under no circumstances should you make a promise to see him again. 10. or that she is going to judge me on how much I earn. kiss him on the cheek or pat him on the back. Ditch your mobile ‘There’s a world of turn-offs out there. you can do it in style. 9. If you’re not interested in a follow-up date. 8. let’s talk about something more interesting. Donald Trump pops into my head and says “You’re ﬁred”. How to end the ﬁrst date When it comes to the ﬁrst date. It lacks imagination and pretty much indicates that she is a little too serious and looking for a provider/sugar daddy. Don’t treat a date as a job interview ‘If a girl asks me what I do within the ﬁrst three minutes of a date. then all you have to do is say.188
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‘The past is the past.

Always offer to pay! A whopping 70 per cent of men say they want to pay for the ﬁrst date but would prefer the woman to offer. under any circumstances. Just make sure you actually have some cash in there in case he accepts!
Sex on the ﬁrst date
Despite the amount of data on the subject. they weren’t that into you in the ﬁrst place and were only after one thing. be aware that 67. Attraction is not a two-way thing—it’s his way. ‘If I don’t. a question I so often get asked is whether women should sleep with a guy on the ﬁrst date. then remember The Chase. 11.’ That should give him the message that you’re not keen to repeat the evening. Never. If you are interested in a follow-up date.’ If you’re asking yourself the same question. Don’t be fooled! You don’t need to give him a line like. ‘I don’t do that’ or ‘We hardly know each other and I like to take
. ‘But won’t he expect it?’ they say.M ODE RN DATIN G
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so anything is out of the question till after then. So doing the cursory wallet-grab isn’t such a bad idea. ask him if he’s going to call you again. he’s going to think I’m a loser or I don’t like him. And don’t call him or press the issue.1 per cent of men say if they sleep with you on the ﬁrst date but don’t call.

. but because you’re a modern woman who’s learnt from her past and is in complete control of her destiny.’—AG ‘Hypothetical: if I have started seeing a woman twice a week.’ with a big cheeky smile on your face. but the waiting would be quite a turn-on . not because you’re a prude or you’re scared of sex or you’re not a modern woman. and there is a mutual physical attraction. by the end of the ﬁrst week I would be strongly desiring her. .190
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things slow’ because he’s heard them all too often before. . Now what man wouldn’t want a woman like that?
From the Male Room
‘I am looking for someone to be with long term so I don’t really sleep with girls on a ﬁrst date . building up the excitement. . and will probably think you got them out of The Rules14 and it’s all part of your grand plan to trap him! A better tactic is to simply tell him this: ‘I’m not sure if I want to sleep with you tonight. I might regret it in the morning. That way he knows that he needs to work doubly hard for your affections. . By the end of the second week the sexual tension would be almost unbearable. . I have actually gone for two months since breaking up with my ex (despite many offers) because I don’t want to lead anyone on and because I don’t want average sex . I always have the greatest sex with someone I love. .

we would almost be ready to explode all over each other and every word and action would drip with pure lust. Simple as that. every man has his limits.’—Patrick
After the ﬁrst date
Urgh. met his parents and impressed his friends. At least wait for the follow-up phone call before you start picking out your
. It was just one date. better than any sex that you ever thought possible—the wait was sooooooooo worth it. girls. before you know it. she’d better start considering other options. when the decision to take action has been made . .M ODE RN DATIN G
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By the end of the third week. he told you about his mum and now you’re totally into him and think he could be ‘the one’.Visions of marriage and babies start ﬂoating through your mind and. Even if he was the most charming. charismatic bloke you’ve ever met who promised you a trip to the Caribbean and commitment for life. . Any longer than four weeks (thirty days). By the end of the fourth week. back off. you saw the sparkle in his eyes. that your chosen date does not reach his peak before it’s too late. the day after the ﬁrst date. Be very careful. the sex is complete and utter raw passion and lasts for about two days straight. While I agree that waiting is a recipe for some incredible sex as per my example. You felt the butterﬂies. Cleopatra. know that actions speak louder than words. you’ve mentally moved your wardrobe into his abode.Well.

according to Professor Gallup at the State University of New York. as a woman
#63. In fact. kisses us. Albany. Freaking. because there’s no point in obsessing over a man who isn’t into you. No. or even sends us a text message with one too many xxxx. text or ask you out on another date. the moment we get a ﬂash of interest from an eligible suitor. Scientists reckon that this irrational female response is due to the chemicals in the limbic system. DATING TIP: If you’re constantly waiting for ONE man to call. In the early stages of dating. dating anxiety will set in. Thanks to the rumour that women are suffering from a man drought. Point. A bunch of hormones are released into our bloodstream whenever a cute guy ﬂirts with us.192
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baby names. The chemical reaction that takes place inside our heads leads us to believe we’ve met our soul mate and that we should start placing our bets on him right now. Don’t tell the other men your clever little plan—just act nonchalant when he asks you out next—you might in fact be genuinely busy!
. suddenly the commitment part of our brains lights up like a giant big billboard. ensure you’ve got all your emotional bases covered by having a string of men wining and dining you. It gets worse once we’ve kissed him. who polled over 1000 respondents.

#64.
. I strongly endorse this approach to dating. In her brilliant book Straight Up and Dirty. she is subconsciously searching for olfactory. and also to attempt reconciliation. can forego the ﬁrst kiss altogether and head straight to the sex part! Or view the pre-sex snog-fest as a means to an end.M ODE RN DATIN G
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swaps spit with a cute Lothario.’ Yeouch! Remember this when you’re umming and ahhing over whether or not to kiss him back when he hasn’t yet captured your full attention. Stephanie Klein advocates dating a ‘pair and a spare’—three men—in order to ensure that you don’t become obsessed with any one man. on the other hand. DATING TIP: Professor Gallup wrote in the Evolutionary Psychology Journal this: ‘Males tend to kiss as a way of trying to gain sexual favours. she’s sizing him up as potential father material. In other words. chemical and tactile cues from the guy to ‘make a determination about instances of potential genetic incompatibility’. Women will often say that they could tell everything about the future relationship from the ﬁrst kiss. Men.

Maybe he got a blow job from some ﬂoozy the very next night and so moved you off his availables conga line. They’d just rather not tell you they don’t give a shit and so they leave you hanging. he’s going to move onto the next. you’re twisting yourself into knots wondering what the hell went wrong. until you’re such a distant memory that he’s forgotten he ever had your number. AFTER-DATE TIP: DON’T CALL HIM if he hasn’t called you! Men constantly complain that women come across as too needy. he will call despite how busy he might be!
. he hasn’t called and you feel like the lowest scum of the earth for even thinking that he might like you. all because they bought her dinner and said he’d call. And don’t think she’s going to be special either. Get over it. Men aren’t like us. It probably wasn’t you at all. If he likes you. and that he could indeed be ‘the one’.194
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The WHHC syndrome: Why hasn’t he called me yet?
So.
#65. They don’t give a shit. As the days wear on and you’re checking your phone more and more every second. They don’t analyse. desperate and whiny. After he’s done with her.

put it away in a drawer and go for a run. It’s been three whole hours and you can’t stop yourself staring at your phone or checking that it still works. End of story. you refused to listen to my sound advice about not calling him and found your hand reaching towards your phone without your brain being able to stop it? And now you feel like a fool because he hasn’t called. then you need to keep a call diary. Most importantly. this minute. next time I am in this predicament I will NOT do any of the above.
Stick it up on your wall or on your mirror and stare at it until it sinks in. he’ll call you. Here’s what I want you to do right now. STOP making stupid excuses for him. If you want to prevent this situation from happening again. Grab a piece of paper and write down these words:
I have just texted/called/emailed __________ insert date’s name here And I feel like an idiot/moron/hopeless/rejected. repeat the exercise before you even think about responding. I will remember how I’m feeling right at this moment and know that I don’t want to experience it ever again. Therefore. So breathe. If a man likes you. When he does text/call/email you. How
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The call diary
So. I will not chase men. texted or emailed you back. I am worth more than this. It does work. I definitely should not have done it.

like you hold all the power—which you do—since you’re no longer the one doing the chasing. which means that when you’re wholly concentrating on talking to someone else. or hanging upside down on a slippery pole.
#66. thought about and passed
. suddenly all those woes about ‘why hasn’t he called me yet’ go completely out the window? That’s because your brain can really only process a few thoughts at one time. or you’re having the time of your life on another date. or you’re in the middle of a poledancing lesson. Which is exactly how I want you to feel ALL THE TIME. AFTER-DATE TIP: DON’T BE A TERRORIST TEXTER! Continuing to text and call despite getting the cold shoulder will mean he’s laughing at you behind your back and never intends to call you again. STOP RIGHT NOW!
How to give good text
When you ﬁrst start the courtship process. there’s not much room to think about the cad that hasn’t yet called you for a second date. Ever noticed how when you’re out with really interesting people. pondered over. every text is analysed. Keep yourself occupied and you won’t be moping around after him. on top of the world.196
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do you feel now? I bet you feel in control.

Don’t be too candid. He’ll reply when he can. The other day a girlfriend of mine was out at a club when she spotted a man who looked exactly like her crush. That work for you?’ Two minutes later. do you want to catch up?’ Thirty minutes later. I promise. he is too.’ Cute.
Some other tips for giving good text
• Timing is everything. horny or craving human interaction. Don’t assume that just because you’re free. dissed a date or hasn’t called you back.M ODE RN DATIN G
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around.’ Five minutes later. Hey. and the lack of even a hint of desperation will ensure that he looks forward to the date and wants to impress her. funny things like her opener text can work wonders. so get it right from the start so you don’t ruin The Chase. She immediately texted her crush: ‘I’ve just spotted a guy that looks exactly like you. his reply: ‘Haha that’s brilliant. If he ditched you. He got your text. Sometimes a guy really is at dinner with his mum. I’m giving him the eye. Or in the middle of a business meeting. her: ‘For sure. A poorly worded text can be a potential landmine. Deadline till Sat though. Making a guy laugh will boost the attraction. And notice how she didn’t include any of the ‘hey babe’ type phrases that so many women like to use. As much
•
. him: ‘Sat is great! I’ll book. under no circumstances should you berate him about this in a text.

It doesn’t have to be a two-way street. you don’t want to reply immediately. By waiting too long to reply. He’ll get the drift! Don’t always feel like you have to ask a question. ‘sexy’. but lets him do the asking and the chasing. it’s always about being a little
•
•
•
•
. Remember.198
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then he’s really. .) Don’t do a victory dance just yet. Sophie didn’t call to confront him about it. Want to go out again?’ Sophie. ‘Er. it meant nothing. If you need to gush to someone. . So he called her. (And if he has. I decided not to go away in the end.M ODE RN DATIN G
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unavailable and nonchalant—the ultimate Wonder Woman.Well. He’s still testing the waters. send the text to your best girlfriend instead!
What to do when he does call
Woohoo! He called. just freakin’ relax already. you can bet your Supre leggings that he is dating other people. applying the Wonder Woman strategy I’d
. It’s not like he’s given you a ring. And if you’ve learnt anything in this book.’ he told her. Sophie found this out the hard way when a mutual friend spotted the guy she’d just started dating out on a date with someone else. really creepy and you should dump him immediately. which got him worried. then it’s that you should be testing him. Okay—it’s only day one. ‘She was just a friend . It’s just a phone call. Being smart. Are his actions in tune with what he’s telling you? What if a guy tells you he can’t see you for a couple of weeks because he’s on a work deadline or has to go away somewhere? How do you know if he’s telling the truth? Maybe the line’s a tactic he uses so he can date other people at the same time he’s dating you.

I ﬁnd myself slowly reaching
. These things happen. ‘Can we make it Saturday night instead? I have something on Friday night. no sweat. Sophie was free.’ ‘Okay. can I call you in an hour?’ he asked nervously.’ she said nonchalantly.’ The Chase was back on and she was in control. • • ‘You looked nothing like the picture on your online dating proﬁle.’ ‘When your girlfriend calls you in the middle of our date and you start blabbing away about what you did last night.’ She hung up the phone. lose—The Chase too soon. ‘Done!’ he said. ‘Can we go out Friday night?’ he asked. wasn’t about to let him win—or. ‘Hey. rather. ‘I can’t talk right now as I’m in the middle of something.
Reasons men give for not calling after the ﬁrst date
Here are some of the responses I got when I asked men what’d stop them calling after a date.200
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advocated (which you’ll read about in Chapter 9). ‘Two hours works. but she didn’t want to make it too easy for him.’ she replied sweetly. He called back an hour and a half later. ‘I’m going to organise something super special.

Many guys do the same thing with women.’ ‘There was a good football game on TV the next day and I plain forgot.M ODE RN DATIN G
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•
•
•
into my pocket to fake a phone call from my Uncle John who happened to fall down a ﬂight of stairs with his discharged life-alert bracelet and his new iPhone .’ ‘I’m not sure whether to buy you dinner or ask your hourly rate. It takes longer than seeing each other a couple of times to be thinking if you are even serious about her or not. let alone getting married. meeting the parents and grandparents! Look at it this way.’—Randomguysomehow
. ladies: do you buy the ﬁrst thing off the rack? I bet you look all day and then maybe go back the next. .’
From the Male Room
‘Guys don’t trust women easily. I really can’t break this one down any further. I would only hope that you have the same courtesy to do that to me instead of leading me on.’ ‘I just wasn’t feeling it. If I am not feeling it. there is nothing that will make me turn tail and run more than if you turn up in a miniskirt with your boobs half hanging out and then ﬂirt with every guy that you see. having babies. If I am looking for a potential relationship. I will not lead you on. .

I remember. with negotiation and compromise. how do you feel about not hassling me when I want to: a) Maintain my own identity and masculinity while attending to a healthy relationship with you that involves some affection and attention to your own wants and needs? b) Not comment on your particular emotion or overreaction to my particular personality trait that was once an
. take it or leave it”. Things for me to consider.202
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” Can we sign a contract and move on?’—Clarity ‘Hey. and the most important factor is whether or not you two are going to get along. . Likes and dislikes are extremely important for any relationship. However. A clear sign to start running. ‘I have no qualms whatsoever about independent women talking about what they do for a living or how they like to relax. . I am all up for women taking initiative in talking about what sexual positions they like and their bedroom trick to drive their man wild. bring it on!’ —Mogambo
. how they like to be pleasured. or. talking even vaguely about or in reference to weddings. families are sure as hell off-putting. similar likes and dislikes . You do too. rather than simply what I don’t do? i) Be me. Get over it. interesting conversation. babies. ‘Smart looks.M ODE RN DATIN G
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alluring part of ‘the package’? c) Go to a game with my mates every so often? d) Watch ﬁve days of test cricket once per year without fear of reprisal or niggling? e) Be silent (quite possibly something that—SURPRISE!—has nothing to do with you at all)? f) Pursue an activity you consider entirely pointless and trivial for no other reason than I think it is fun? g) Tell it like it is without discussing the ‘meaning’ (as deﬁned by you) of what I said? h) Be recognised and appreciated for what I DO. better still. I like me. good body.

by his reckoning. however. The Leykis 101 Rules have struck a chord with scorned gents everywhere. Leykis advises his students to ‘dump that bitch’ if she doesn’t sleep with him on the third date because.
. meaning they expect sex on the third date. He simply pays for three dates and she sleeps with him on the third. he knows that he won’t be putting down the dough for too long before he gets the opportunity to jump into her pants.204
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The myth of the third-date rule
The unspoken truth of ﬁrst dates is that the man pays. Leykis also recommends that men should never spend more than $40 on a date. At least. the woman is paid for and all is right and balanced in the world. contrary to the belief of most “uninformed” men. willingly proffering his hard-earned dollars in a bid to impress her.’ Even if you don’t like the sounds of Tom Leykis or his 101 rules. More recently. or it’s over. that’s the view of controversial LA-based radio host Tom Leykis. you probably won’t be surprised to learn that according to The Modern Man Survey (which I conducted in 2009). The male attempts to court the female. it means she has no intention of ever doing so. with the proliferation of the third-date rule. asserting that: ‘more money spent during a date will not necessarily lead to a better chance of sex. 40 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men go by the ‘third-date rule’.

don’t get caught in the trap. THE NEW THIRD-DATE RULE: Do you like him enough to sleep with him? Has he wooed you. chased you. Just know that this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to go anywhere serious yet. despite having no intention of getting into bed with him. there’s a lesson to be learnt when it comes to giving people false expectations. If you’re ready to do the horizontal hanky-panky on the third date. Take the sad tale of Janelle. so if you’re not ready for sex. While most men wouldn’t dream of being so callous. paid for your dinner and called when he said he would? If not. When it came time to drop her home. When she refused. Left her on the street to ﬁnd her own way home. I’m serious. I’ve put together my own rule. Just like that. The third-date rule is rampant. Chances are he’s just waiting
. then by all means go ahead. which I advocate to all women wanting a free dinner: If you don’t intend to sleep with the bloke. kicked her out and drove off. always pay your share. DON’T DO IT! He’s a CANDY MAN and you aren’t looking for a sugar fix. he simply opened the car door. who ignored my sage advice and allowed the guy to pay on the third date anyway.M ODE RN DATIN G
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#67. he casually mentioned that they’d both be heading back to his place.
In response to Leykis’s diatribe.

So when should you sleep with a guy? According to the men from The Modern Man Survey: • • • • • 11 per cent of men expect women to put out on the ﬁrst date 42.5 per cent will wait up to three months 5 per cent will wait from three to six months. there was no pressure from either of us . You know the signs by now. it’s mutual or it’s not.
From the Male Room
‘If you feel something for the person you are seeing and you believe you can make something of it.206
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around to get you into the sack.’—N
. in fact it was me that wanted to wait as too many times I have jumped in and ruined potential relationships with sex.And realistically.5 per cent go by the third-date rule 34. . you wait. . you’re simpatico or you move on. I casually dated a girl for over a month before sleeping with her. And you also know that you don’t have to be pressured into anything you don’t want to do.7 per cent are happy to wait around for one month 6. First or ﬁfteenth date.’—Laurence ‘It happens when it happens. If one person wants it and the other doesn’t (regardless of which gender is which) you are clearly on different wavelengths and should call it quits.

but I would want to know pretty early in the piece if there is some sexual chemistry.’—Hank ‘It’s not the three-date rule as such. but if a girl is not putting out at all on the third date. you’ll know that there comes a time when you have to let go. If I sense I am being played.’—Terrance ‘I fell for a girl a while ago who didn’t want to have sex after three dates. When we ﬁnally did do it on about the ﬁfth date it was probably the most sensual experience I have ever had. If I feel a strong connection with someone I would not mind waiting a longer period of time. it can be easy to lose interest. by-bye.’—Vince
. If you truly love something. Our relationship was strong. It wasn’t fucking. Sweet. it was making love. sweet. I’ll wait. sweet love. If I see lots of potential.’—Gabrielle ‘I would probably say I would wait between the “thirddate rule” and one month. sweet love. until I ended up spending eight out of every twelve months overseas for the last two to three.’—Sam ‘Totally on a case-by-case basis. It’s not fair to do that if you really love someone. Sweet. I fell for her more after that. I don’t typically use rules because I believe relationships are all unique and should be handled differently in different situations.M ODE RN DATIN G
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‘Depends. otherwise I would not see much point in persevering with a relationship.

went to the bathroom and checked the message. ‘God. and when he asked her to come upstairs to his room while he unpacked.’ the message said. ‘Wow. she had a boyfriend now and she wasn’t going to let this man ruin that. ‘Can’t wait to see you. She arrived at his Hollywood house wearing a black leather miniskirt. She would be in control this time. They chatted like old friends. He was back in town after shooting a movie abroad. It was from the Producer. After all. I’ve missed you. Jane could hardly sleep. you look amazing. She instantly wrote back—all the pain and heartache immediately evaporated as she imagined them frolicking together.’ then leaned in to kiss her on the lips. The night before the Producer arrived. She excused herself.A Cautionary Tale: Jane
One night. Her mind was racing and her pheromones were heating up.’ Jane’s stomach did a backﬂip. she didn’t refuse.’ said the Producer when she walked through the door.
. ‘And so tanned. She couldn’t wait to see him. during a romantic dinner with Duncan at a new restaurant on Sunset called Boa to celebrate their one-month anniversary.’ He hugged her. She turned away so he got her cheek. She was sure of it. Jane’s phone beeped. a white buttoned-down shirt and lace-up peep-toe Zac Posen heels. ‘I miss you. But the Producer didn’t seem even slightly perturbed.

‘Not now. ‘I’ve missed you.’ She had a life to live. And resisting the urge to wring his neck. ‘So why didn’t you call?’ Jane asked.’ she said softly. Or. I can’t do it. the constant going over it in her head to work out what the hell went wrong. questioning herself. he leaned in for a kiss. Besides. The photo she’d found on Facebook hadn’t lied. her leather miniskirt riding up her legs. She had ﬁnally got it all together and met someone else. bumped into someone from her past. Again. grabbing her hand. She had been completely duped. She agreed. He walked towards her. Didn’t this guy get the message? ‘Sorry. She was quite clingy. Her loyal boyfriend Duncan was heading out of town and she’d be all alone. she thought. that hungry look in his eyes. Which meant smiling a lot.’ Jane swallowed hard.The conga-line theory was true. and bent down so his face was close to hers. doing her best to act nonchalant about the whole situation. at least. ‘At least have dinner with me tonight?’ he begged.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : JAN E
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In his room. All that time she’d spent obsessing over him. what she might have said or done to turn him off her—and the entire time he was just with someone else. What a freaking idiot I am. He’d
. what harm could it really do just to have dinner? The city lights ﬂickered as Jane and the Producer gazed at the spectacular view from the balcony of the swanky restaurant he’d chosen for dinner.’ he said. ‘I had a girlfriend. Jane sank down onto the bed.

‘So how do you know the Producer?’ ‘Through Facebook actually. someone else will be joining us for dinner.’ the girl giggled. Not you. ‘I’m getting a cab.
. It all happened so fast. Something in the female psyche tells you that if one woman has declared this man ‘suitable boyfriend material’. Her nose wiggled when she talked. a gorgeous. Don’t fall into the trap. Was this his idea of a joke? When she ﬁnally mustered up the strength to say something. THE GIRLFRIEND THEORY: When men tell you they have a girlfriend. he mustn’t be that bad. And they’d been together ever since. ‘I just want to let you know. After an excruciatingly painful meal during which the girl and the Producer ﬂirted shamelessly while Jane downed a few more bellinis. glancing nervously at Jane. then at him.’ Moments later. they can often be perceived as even more attractive.210
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hooked up with someone else almost immediately after her. She is the unlucky one.
The Producer interrupted her thoughts.’ she slurred. she asked the girl.
#68. the three of them headed to a nearby bar where they shared a pitcher of lychee martini mix. By then Jane was blind drunk. Jane was speechless. long-legged blonde girl was standing behind them. and then he was introducing her to Jane. Suddenly the Producer and the girl were kissing hello.

‘I thought you were the type of girl up for anything. she decided to go as Duncan was still away.’ Jane wondered why she’d fallen into his trap again. When she arrived he was surrounded by women but this time Jane didn’t care. she couldn’t resist. when two girls came over. So when the Producer invited Jane to his ﬁlm’s premier.’ he whispered in her ear. kissing her goodbye. She was about to agree. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow. Jane saw him leaning in to kiss her as the cab whisked her away.’ Then he returned his attention to the girl. ‘We can make it a foursome.’ But Jane wasn’t having any of it. The following day the Producer sent her a text: ‘The night was boring without you. Jane was horriﬁed. ‘You gotta let loose. She picked up her handbag and stormed out of the party—and out of his life. ‘Want to come with us?’ the Producer asked the girls. touching her on the shoulder. somehow. both wearing designer dresses and sparkly heels.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : JAN E
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‘Okay. one who she recognised from dinner a few nights before and the other looked about twenty-one. despite herself. Who did this guy think he was? She ﬁnally realised she
. The girls nodded eagerly.’ said the Producer.’ He winked. She should be over this. But. Wondered why she was allowing herself to get upset over such a cad. ‘Want to come back to my place and watch a movie?’ the Producer asked her when the night wound down. Janey. She had Duncan now. She mingled and networked and barely spoke to him all night.

‘Hope you had a great night at the party. don’t get involved in the first place. you need to know all the signs UPFRONT so you don’t end up like Jane . Jane. There would be no other women. It was from Duncan. What was she doing even considering the Producer over him? Duncan wanted her. . He was always doing amazing things for her. How could I have been so stupid? she thought. Almost compromising the best relationship of her life for a player? And then she received a text message. It’s a lose-lose situation. Or better yet. Of course. a romantic weekend away?’ Jane’s heart skipped a beat. CHASING JANE: No matter how hard you try to play the player’s game right back at him. just as she was. . I’ve missed you. No blow-ins. you’re never going to win in the face of a player. How do you feel about .
. Tears rolled down her cheeks. you’re ALWAYS going to fail. I’ve got a surprise for you when I get home. . No matter how savvy you think you are or how brilliant you might be at deflecting his advances. and fast. This was real. He promised her the world and he always delivered. She was enough for him—as she’d now realised he was for her.
#69.212
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had to let go for good and concentrate on moving her life forward. Duncan was real. . The only solution? Get out.

Erica Jong
. I think that’s the most important thing in life. it will never work.9
Wonder Woman: The woman men want to chase
Figure out who you are separate from your family. Find a sense of self because with that.
Angelina Jolie
Men and women. Find who you are in this world and what you need to feel good alone. women and men. you can do anything else. and the man or woman you’re in a relationship with.

Women are so easily impressed! he laughs to himself. Don’t be that gushy girl.214
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Who is Wonder Woman?
The difference between the Candy Girls and the Wonder Woman is enormous. conﬁdent and happy within herself that she doesn’t need to use a man to deﬁne who she is.
Over the years. The Wonder Woman is that amazing creature who keeps men wondering and so has them desperately vying for her attention. She wants to know him for his own sake. many men have learnt that in order to get a woman into bed. And then comes along Wonder Woman (WW). And they usually work. She’s so secure. Many men have formulated a set of tactics and manoeuvres. She doesn’t give a toss. to aspire to be the alpha male. to get a woman to sleep with him. they need to impress her. it’s their inherent male nature to be competitive. Keep your cool. She doesn’t care for his ability to lift iron or that all his mates are celebrities. but always be gracious.
. She isn’t impressed by his motorbike or his black Amex or his bulging biceps. their ability to trade stocks or their celebrity friends. That aside.
#70. WONDER WOMAN TIP: Men like women who are not easily impressed by their car. or that he’s a celebrity himself. their money. tested and perfected.

his friends or his social status. I was amazed to discover that EVERY SINGLE ONE of these men had experienced something similar: they’d all met and dated the love of their lives. They had sex with all these other women. He couldn’t believe it! Other men have told me that women who are interested in opera or ballet
. lonely or horny. When I ﬁrst started interviewing men. I kid you not: men like women who actually have half a brain (okay. When I asked the men to describe the qualities of their LOL (Love Of Life). particularly those many women would refer to as assholes or bad boys. and they still hadn’t really got over her. just because they were bored. Which.WONDE R WOM AN
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not because of his possessions. most admitted they weren’t averse to meeting if she happened to come along. It had nothing whatsoever to do with their search for a soul mate. maybe a full brain) and are able to expand their minds and help them think about the world in a different way. the Candy Girls. by the way. I once taught a guy I was dating how to do a great resume that increased his chances of getting a job. they all named very similar characteristics: • She can teach him something. or even showing him a new part of town. taking him to an art gallery. It can be the simplest thing—like introducing him to a new band that he’s never heard of.

I know that. I’ve often heard men use the phrase ‘high-maintenance woman’ and it’s always confused the heck out of me. taught new things and expanded.216
The Chase or art. Men like women they can get to know. or can speak another language. paying for dinners. Wow. ‘at least I’m thinking to myself. So I decided to ask the gents what they meant.’ one Lothario told me.You’re my readers and many of you write in to tell me what fantastic women you are. And talking about marriage and kids is going to scare him shitless. but they also like to be mentally challenged by you. men like to be the alpha in the relationship. So get a grip and start projecting the WW in you! She’s ‘low-maintenance’. Don’t get caught up in the Paris Hilton way of wooing a man—he’ll stick around for less time than it takes her to change her outﬁt. looking after you and being the one you lean on. So let him darn well see that! Hopping into a dark cupboard with him with your bra off so he can grope you in the dark is not going to allow him to see that. this girl has a lot to offer me.’ Yes. Was it the fact
•
•
. ‘Even if I’m bored senseless at the opera. I know that you’re a great person who isn’t only focused on getting married and having kids. I know you have something special to offer a man. are viewed as WWs not BJCs. stimulated. leading the way. She has something different to talk about other than her single life and her quest to ﬁnd a man.

Keep your cool. and cry about it LATER.’ Being a low-maintenance kind of gal means having your own thing going. lose an eyelash or break a heel. not seeming to do everything in your power to impress a man and garner his attention.
#71. and not expecting him to pay all your bills. and they generally don’t put out. The “foo-foo”—the one who spends the longest time getting ready—is generally absolutely gorgeous and probably cosmetically enhanced and used to being primped and pampered at all times. Laugh it off.WONDE R WOM AN
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that she took hours to do her hair in the morning? Spent too long at the gym each day? Or that she simply wanted too much of his attention? One man explained to me that there are a few types of high-maintenance women—and you don’t want to be any of them. even if you chip a nail. I guess you could say she’s the worst type.
. your worth goes right out the window and you’re put right back into the Candy Girl category. Oh. Alone. The “wallet cruncher” is high maintenance because she’s always asking me for money to pay for things and to buy her presents. ‘There’s the “attention whores” who require way too much of my time and attention. WONDER WOMAN TIP: THE MINUTE HE THINKS OF YOU AS ‘HIGH MAINTENANCE’.

even though there was no music playing.’ Heidi gushed to me. Her name is Heidi Klum. She had that carefree attitude that many men had explained to me was what made them want to stay with one girl and not another—the low-maintenance gal who dances to her own beat. how do I do it? But what really makes me do it is the knowledge that I have a hot man waiting at home for me. Seal. I asked the clincher: how does she keep the spark alive with her husband. I don’t want to be a slouchbag for him. displaying her perfect Hollywoodenhanced smile. ‘You have to be sexy all the time. ‘So how do I look?’ she asked me in her sugary-sweet voice. before picking up a top hat that happened to be sitting on the table and placing it on top of her shoulder-length shiny blonde hair.
Why Heidi Klum is the ultimate Wonder Woman
‘I just love Australians. people always ask me how I stay in shape. After we chatted a little about what it means to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel. according to the gents anyway. She began to dance.218
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I recently had the opportunity to interview a Wonder Woman who seems to encompass all the qualities of the ultimate Wonder Woman—well.’ she told me. waving her hands in the air and shaking her butt. I have to
. ‘You know.

But not about themselves. there is something really sexy underneath. And to do that. . ‘They should be talking about the world—anything interesting.’ I realised that despite all Heidi’s success. It’s great knowing that when the ﬁrst layer comes off. WONDER WOMAN TIP: You don’t have to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel to be his Wonder Woman. and dance to your own beat. her main focus in life was making her husband happy.WONDE R WOM AN
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keep up appearances . ooze sex appeal and have confidence in order to be the apple of his eye. she told me that it’s people who talk about themselves too much.
#72.
Looks vs personality: The great debate
I often hear women complaining that since they’re not the best-looking femme in the bunch.’ When I asked her what turns her off. That’s why I love wearing sexy lingerie underneath my clothes. Have an easy breezy attitude at all times—oh. they’re ﬁnding it
. wealth and status. she played up her feminine side. kept things light and humorous and generally became the ultimate Wonder Woman in the process. . But you do need to be well-groomed.

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tough to ﬁnd a bloke. So I was elated to discover that a recent survey conﬁrmed the fact that gentlemen prefer Miss Average to the ‘perfect’ centrefold body. That’s right, ladies, you can ﬁnally stop holding your belly in for fear that it’s going to deter the next hot-blooded male that turns your way. Apparently, a ﬁvefoot-four female with a thirty-inch waist and forty-inch hips who wears a size fourteen is what many men desire. The survey, which was reported in New Scientist magazine, says ‘too thin’ is out, and an hourglass ﬁgure is in. According to a comment by Dave Bolton in response to the story on the Daily Mail news website, this revelation is nothing new: ‘Once again a study ﬁnds what we men already know and have been saying for years, but women just wouldn’t listen.’

From the Male Room
‘I have dated high-maintenance women. At ﬁrst you excuse some of the high-maintenance behaviours as “cute”, or you let them slip because after months of going without you are getting regular sex ﬁnally. That all wears thin after a while and you recognise them for the miserable, selﬁsh bits of work that they are. If you are sensible, at this point you discard them. If you are not sensible about it and stay with them, you run the risk of having your very soul and vitality sucked from you.’—Migs

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‘I can’t stand the thought of high-maintenance women. Besides the cost, drama and time associated with high maintenance, I often wonder about the insecurities being compensated for. Shave this, dye that, get the hair done again! ‘Give me a woman who is quietly conﬁdent within herself and who is to some degree unaware of her effect on the opposite sex. This to me is the essence of class. By the same token I couldn’t tolerate a woman who’d just “given up”. ‘Bottom line: dress well (not ﬂashily), be clean, lay off the face render, don’t appear too desperate and, above all, be a genuinely nice person.’—Steve ‘Ultimately, though, what most men would like is someone who is pretty to them, likes the way that they look and who laughs at their jokes (lame though they might be). If she likes Star Wars that is a serious bonus.’—F365 ‘I love a ﬁt, happy, healthy girl with a great sense of humour who loves to have sex twice a day, doesn’t play games and doesn’t have to wear make-up. It’s also really important to me that she only has eyes for me. Girls who need to have the attention of every guy in the room are just painful to be with.’—Ari Gold ‘To me, the Wonder Woman is one who is conﬁdent in body and mind, who gives but isn’t afraid

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The Chase to take, who will listen as much as she talks, who appreciates that time apart is as important as time together, who is able to socialise with different kinds of people, who is tolerant and forgiving but not for repeated sins, who enjoys a vibrant and adventurous sex life but also has an interest in deeper matters of the heart. Oh, and must love dogs. Never trust anyone who doesn’t love dogs.’—Been There, Done That ‘Personality: bubbly, savvy, sensitive, sweet, outgoing, witty, ultra-feminine, elegant, graceful, affectionate (this one seems to be missing from Aussie girls) and kind. Oh, and just the tiniest bit crazy and mysterious.’ —Gary

A Cautionary Tale: Poppy
Poppy was livid. No-one fucked with Poppy Belle. Especially not some weasel like Doug Rush. Oh, no. He would pay. Poppy was sure of it. She thought about how she was going to exact her revenge as she expertly wound her convertible Mini Cooper down the road towards his apartment. She glanced at herself in the rear-view mirror. Her signature long blonde hair, which was usually expertly ironed ﬂat, was tousled and dirty.The rims of her blue eyes were stained red from the tears that so rarely showed themselves. Thank God for oversized sunglasses, she thought. How could this have happened? Who the fuck did Doug Rush think he was to mess her around like that? How dare he! She was Poppy Belle, the darling of the fashion world! The sexpot of the city! What the hell had gone wrong? It wasn’t as though she didn’t give him sex. Boy, did she ever. And it wasn’t as though she was needy, whiny or pushing him into commitment. She wasn’t! And it wasn’t like he wasn’t into her—he called her all the freaking time. But he was a bona ﬁde commitment-phobe. Just like all the other men she’d dated. She thought back to when she’d returned home from Fiji. Doug was waiting for her at the airport with a single pink rose (her favourite colour) and two tickets to Miami. ‘I want you all to myself this weekend,’ he’d cooed in her ear.

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#73. CANDY GIRL FACT:

The party girl will never be taken seriously by a man. No matter how many times you attempt to explain you’re different, he will inevitably view you as a boost to his ego, a quick fix and a fleeting fling. Nothing more.

They’d spent the weekend frolicking on the beach, digging their toes in the sand and making love in every position imaginable. The more time they spent together, the more she became confused. ‘He wants to spend every day and night with me, but refuses to call me his girlfriend,’ she’d told Jane over the phone from the bathroom of the hotel. ‘I just don’t get it. His actions don’t match his words. And the worst part? He refuses to say he loves me.’ Then last night at Bar Marmont with the girls, Courtney Luu had come bouncing out of nowhere, wearing a raspberry see-through dress that looked like it was made from a few handkerchiefs sewn together. ‘Hiiii,’ she’s purred, touching Poppy’s shoulder. ‘How arrrre you doing?’ Courtney had arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow and Poppy had noticed she was wearing ice-blue contact lenses. ‘Hi,’ Poppy had replied, glancing around with a bored expression on her face.

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‘How was the shoot?’ Courtney asked, her breasts giving a little jiggle. Poppy noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra. Typical. ‘Oh, you know, it was all right, I guess.’ Poppy turned her back to talk to someone else, then she felt a tap on her back. ‘Courtney, I’m in the middle of a conversation—’ ‘I fucked Doug the day you left,’ Courtney said quickly, her cat-like eyes turning cold and hard. ‘He called me and asked me to come over. I just thought you should know.’ Poppy remained expressionless. ‘Is that all you have to say, Courtney?’ ‘Well, er . . .’ ‘Well, I already knew,’ Poppy said coolly, ‘but thanks for letting everyone else know what type of a girl you really are.’ Poppy picked up her handbag and left, her head held high. She was careful not to let Courtney or anyone else see any sign of weakness. Especially the small tear that was starting to well up in her left eye . . .

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Part 3
Managing the Modern Relationship
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read the instructions for the third time. She hadn’t seen him since last week. a sign that the test had worked. And now I might be carrying his baby. Fucking Doug. don’t let this be happening. That prick doesn’t deserve me. Hopefully he’d respond to that. she thought again for the hundredth time that day. The waiting was the worst part. As she peered at the second box.A Cautionary Tale: Poppy
Poppy sat on the toilet seat after drinking her second glass of guava juice in as many minutes. She carefully placed the lid back on it and pointed it downwards. The ﬁrst blue line had immediately appeared in the ﬁrst box. This is it. She tried calling Doug but he didn’t answer. Please God. She gave an audible gasp. she thought. Those three minutes it took for the liquid to do its thing on the stick until the blue line magically appeared. there was deﬁnitely a blue line there. felt like hours. or didn’t.
. Yes. then peed on the stick. My life is about to change. she thought she could make out a faint blue line. She got out another stick from the ominous-looking box. when she’d gone to his place to confront him about cheating on her. Poppy looked at the stick in her hand. she thought. She hoped to God it would be blank. How the hell was she going to tell him? She’d send a text. She looked at the box again.

’ he replied immediately.The media would pounce on the story like hounds and rip her to shreds. and no-one was going to hire a pregnant model.Who the hell had she been dating all these months. Are you free to meet?’ ‘Coffee shop outside my ofﬁce.’ Poppy said the next day in the coffee shop. contemplative sip. Doug. But it damn well was. ‘I’m pregnant. I want to talk. She had a career to maintain. 11 am tomorrow.230
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‘Listen. And her friends? Well.
. ‘Well.There was no-one she could tell. But she was already two and a half months gone. and he wasn’t making it any easier. that’s what I wanted to discuss—’ ‘There’s nothing to discuss. This couldn’t be happening to her.Who was this guy? She felt confused and angry at herself for getting into this mess in the ﬁrst place. Poppy. His hands were trembling. I’ll support you.’ she wrote. She wasn’t about to take any chances. She could see the headlines now: ‘Golddigger!’ ‘Attention-seeker!’ ‘Party girl gets knocked up!’ Her parents wouldn’t understand. unemotional. Poppy asked herself. He knew she was broke. He knew that she’d never be able to have this baby on her own. ‘Leave things on a good note.’ She didn’t know what to say. The words seemed to cut Doug like a knife. ‘Just get rid of it.’ His eyes were cold. She was utterly torn. keeping his eyes on his latte as he took a slow. she wasn’t exactly sure who she could trust. harsh. She didn’t have much time. It was cold. but only if you do that. won’t you?’ he said. ‘You’ll take care of this.

Would she have done things differently if she’d been able to see Doug then as she saw him now? As he really was rather than what she’d imagined him to be? She had projected so many of her fantasies onto their relationship that she’d been too blind to
#74. She thought back to six months ago. I’m thirty years old. Please consider it. Without Doug. but somehow the press had got hold of the story anyway.’ She hadn’t told anyone. But she refused to let them drag her down.’ Her voice was quiet and surprisingly controlled. LOVE WARNING: Telling yourself you’re ‘in love’ for the sake of wanting to be in love will only end in heartache down the track. I might never have this chance again. ‘Just do what needs to be done.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : PO PPY
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‘Doug. but she wasn’t so sure she wanted to give up this baby. You can never be too cautious with your heart!
. The pain. I know you’ll make the right decision. when she’d met Doug—now she saw it as the fork in the road. The news that she was knocked up had ﬂashed across the media and everyone had delighted in knocking her down. loneliness and sadness had washed over her like a giant black cloud. She was going to start over. She didn’t like to beg. Poppy. threatening to stop her from ever smiling again.

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see that he was a weak man without any backbone. she was having his baby.
. She had wanted so desperately to be in love that she’d ignored the warning signs. And now.

you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies . . . is like a shark.
Woody Allen
Don’t settle for a relationship that won’t let you be yourself
Oprah Winfrey
. I think.10
Choosing the right relationship
A relationship.

most desirable single male in the country. She quickly signed up for another reality TV show. Firestone had been dubbed the ‘seemingly perfect man’ and ‘one of the country’s most eligible bachelors’. but he appeared kind. the women are crossed off the list until there’s only one woman standing. most genetically blessed single women to compete for the attention of the hottest. After all. When contestant Jennifer Schefft. a petite blonde account manager. The drama unfolds as. The Bachelorette. not only did he have brooding good looks. genuine and genuinely infatuated with his chosen contestant. The Bachelor is a US reality TV show where a bunch of execs handpick twenty-ﬁve of the sexiest. The bachelor is then supposed to propose to her and they’re to live happily ever after. one by one. horror—Schefft was back on the market. Why? She says the relationship ‘ﬁzzled out’. Series number three had a very interesting outcome. won the heart of dazzling fortune heir Andrew Firestone back in 2003. This time. and in the driver’s seat. and one that we can all learn from. Besides. and she wasn’t prepared to settle for anything less than she believed she rightly deserved.234
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Are you settling?
In case you’ve never watched it. So what’s not to love? Fast forward a few months and—shock. many believed she’d hit the jackpot. It was up to her to choose a
. she was the star of the show.

‘You’ll be a Bachelorette forever!’ gasped The View’s Elisabeth Hasselback. her nagging mum or the fact that complete strangers berated her for letting her eggs ‘rot’.
#75. Everyone ended up disappointed as Schefft turned down both of the last two men standing. she did indeed meet ‘the one’—a stock trader named Joe Waterman. In retaliation. ‘She wants to be alone? How will she cope without a man!’ people said in horror. defending her non-settling ways. She claimed the ‘spark’ she was after just wasn’t there. Your happiness comes first. And they recently
.) At the end of the show. the world waited with bated breath to see who she would choose. NEVER SETTLE! Just because society expects you to be married by now. you’ll know that they’re not too shabby at all. not that of your pushy relatives. She refused to settle because of societal expectations. she went on to pen the book Better Single Than Sorry.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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suitable bachelor from the cream of the crop. But Schefft was standing by her guns. (And if you’ve ever seen the contestants on these shows. doesn’t mean you have to grab and walk down the aisle with the first eligible bachelor who comes your way.
A few years later.

He talks to you badly. In other words. What a load of hogwash.
. Instead. He’s ungenerous. we should say yes to the ﬁrst douchebag that comes along in case we wind up alone. I strongly advise you to objectively analyse your situation within the following categories: Are you with Mr Right? Or are you with Mr Good Enough? And be honest—it’s your future that’s at stake and the only person’s happiness that matters is yours.236
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got hitched. How do you know if you’re settling.
Mr Good Enough
• • • You prefer to go out with your girlfriends on the weekend rather than stay in with him. Schefft’s advice for all the single women out there is simply this: ‘Don’t settle’. Her argument was that ‘settling’ would be the perfect antidote to a sobering report that claimed there were currently more single gals in circulation than during World War I. Despite Schefft’s story being proof of what can happen when you don’t listen to anything else but your heart. being too picky or have genuinely found ‘the one’? Journalist Lori Gottlieb (author of Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self ) shocked many singletons (and the world) when she encouraged women to marry ‘Mr Good Enough’ in a story she penned for the The Atlantic magazine. for many women the question of settling can be a difﬁcult notion to grasp.

He’s abusive. He has the same goals as you when it comes to a family. He makes you feel special. secure and at peace when you are around him.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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• • • • •
You often suspect he is cheating and he revels in his ability to make you jealous. He’s a money leech and you often ﬁnd yourself forking out to cover his share of the bills too. He is loyal.15
Mr Right
• • • • • • • • • You feel safe. ladies. You have different priorities and life goals and neither of you is prepared to compromise. Brad Pitt is already taken!
. just don’t get too caught up the idea that the only man for you is Prince Charming. even if you’re doing nothing special.
Remember. You always ﬁnd yourself wanting to hang out with him. He still refuses to acknowledge the fact that you are together. He is proud of you and you of him. You are able to completely be yourself around him. kind and honest with you at all times. There’s no doubt in your mind that he is faithful to you. You have shared values.

The Chase is instantly ruined.You’re probably thinking that you should text him the words ‘We need to talk’. In your view. ‘We need to talk about where this relationship is heading’ is a phrase many men loathe to hear. So now you’re thinking about how to broach the question with him. She vows
. take heed of this story from the Male Room. Say. but you get my drift). deleted the number of your booty-call buddy from your Blackberry and picked out your potential wedding gown (okay. One day she can’t get hold of him.238
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Don’t assume you’re monogamous (yet)
When dating someone you know is right for you. not all of you will do this. you’ll eventually ask yourself the inevitable question: ‘So. independent man. your man-search is ﬁnally over. So before you hit speed dial to question your current date about where all those late-night visits and debauched escapades are leading. But she’s still unsure of where this is all going. text. They kiss. where is this relationship going?’ And who can blame you? After all. Carefree. date and meet each other’s mates. She assumes he’s out with another woman. email or tweet that little question and trust me when I say he won’t be chasing you any longer. swap numbers.When that sentence comes spluttering out. right? Wrong. independent female meets hot. you’ve stopped dating other men.

that he left his phone in his apartment when he went to work. he wants to gag. to run and hide. He’d just ended a one-month ﬂing with a girl named Sally. She tells him they need to talk about their relationship. Another one bites the dust.
to dump the cad for good. Or at least pretends to herself that’s what she’s going to do. NEVER THREATEN A MAN’S FREEDOM! They value this as the utmost quality of their single lives. but really she’s desperately waiting for a call.’ Sid. When he eventually calls. ‘For a while it was perfect. His defences immediately shoot up. an art gallery owner. she’s wasting her time. She tells him it’s over and hangs up. ‘What happened to the breezy. an explanation. The female becomes paranoid and obsessive. or that he simply forgot. ‘Where the hell have you been?’ she wails. you’ll be dumped faster than you imagine. told me.
.’ ‘At ﬁrst I thought it was all so great. But it’s too late. she cracks it. If they feel you’re a threat to it in any way.Then feels relieved the conversation is over. beautiful girl I ﬁrst started dating?’ he wonders in shock. She asks him where this is all going. an email. ‘Oh well. can’t they enjoy the ride while they’re having fun? She screams that if all he sees her as is a bit of fun.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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#76. He says. He tells her his mobile battery cut out.

she asks me to stay over. She wants to be able to call him her boyfriend. When I told her I had to get up for work. and doesn’t hesitate to invite her to his
. or even six months down the track. she dropped the “where is it going” thing on me. She knows the power of waiting. they’re lying in bed together and she wants nothing more than to be able to deﬁne their relationship. But she keeps it zipped. leave by 2 am. She’s fun. meaningless and fantastic. and didn’t have to call her. At the two-month mark. nag or put any demands on him. meet her parents or accompany her to her best friend’s wedding. He plans a trip with her to Paris for the summer (which is four months away). but waiting to get to the point where she no longer seems a threat to his freedom. It was casual. And then I had to catch the bus home in just a pair of pants in ﬁve-degree weather at two in the morning! I got a lot of strange stares. he’ll wake up one day and realise he doesn’t want to lose her. He introduces her at a party as his ‘girlfriend’. ﬂirtatious and they make each other laugh. And so he does what she’d never thought he’d do. Why did she have to do that? I was out of there so fast that I left my jumper behind.’ The opposite type of woman is one who doesn’t whine. the following month. for him to call her his girlfriend. Perhaps the following day. just as I’m about to leave her place one night. she simply enjoys the relationship for what it is.240
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I’d go over to her place at midnight. Then. Not waiting for him to make the decision for her.

his foibles and doesn’t try to change him or to restrict him in any way. their thriving sex life or their never-ending quest for the ‘thrill of the hunt’ will be rapidly shoved aside. WONDER WOMAN LETS A MAN BE HIMSELF: She accepts his flaws.
Don’t say ‘I love you’
Ah. But utter that infamous sentence beseeching him to tell you where it’s all heading and you could run the risk of making him run a mile. Don’t ever forget that all blokes are cavemen at heart. Forget about how to lose a guy in ten days. as long as you play your Wonder Woman cards right.
#77. ladies.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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father’s birthday dinner party. If you bring the ‘L’ card into play
. Especially if he hasn’t said it to you ﬁrst. Anything that threatens their freedom. then just say the ‘L’ word and he’ll be out your door faster than a Roger Federer forehand. The theory is simple. those three magic words. DON’T BE THAT NEEDY GIRL!
If he’s the right guy for you. there’ll be a natural progression from ﬂing to relationship. if you really want to see a result. with thirty of his closest family members.

thanks’.
#78. and that you’re just one of those desperate girls gagging to get hitched. No such luck. you’re bursting his caveman bubble—suddenly you’re no longer worth chasing. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES UTTER THE ‘L’ WORD BEFORE HE’S SAID IT TO YOU: This threatens his freedom. Before you even think about saying ‘I love you’. or worse—have him explain to you that he’s enjoying the no-strings-attached casual liaison way too much to shift gears into mushy couple territory? ‘Why ruin a good thing?’ he’ll say as your heart crumbles into a million pieces and you wish the ground would swallow you whole. (I’m SERIOUS!)
Saying the ‘L’ word when he’s barely mentioned your name to his mates. or bringing home to Mum. let alone traded in Saturday night footy for a romantic evening with you.242
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too soon. By this time I’m guessing you’ll be wanting to press the backspace button on your mouth.
. dating. WAIT FOR HIM TO SAY IT—even if it takes years. makes him think you want to rush him. shagging. Do you really want to experience the quizzical stare. . . Saying it ﬁrst also means you risk personal humiliation. is enough to ensure the union is over for good. the nonchalant ‘er .

He’s nice to your friends. Always go by his actions. He gazes at you lovingly when you’re out in public. when they haven’t even reached the second date!
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you need some signs that he’s in love with you. I’ve never heard a man lament that he is searching for ‘a relationship’. They speak a whole lot louder. something drastic needs to be done. Or that he wants to delay the sex to see if he’s really that into a woman. many times: never listen to what a man says. As I’ve said many. He smiles when you walk through the door. Or that he so desperately wants kids that he’s prepared to ‘settle’ with the next half-decent lady that crosses his path. He remembers your birthday.
But stop placing so much emphasis on the ‘L’ word. Here are a few: • • • • • Invite him to your parents’ place on the day of an important footy game and see if he shows up. or at least admit he’s the marrying type. (Wouldn’t that be music to some women’s ears?) So it has me mightily ﬂummoxed when I hear of some femmes demanding a man commit.
How to get him to commit to more than dinner plans
When there’s no sign of the two of you ever settling down together.

his freedom or stop having sex with him.
. George Clooney says he’s just ‘no good at it’. Hence you need to PROVE TO HIM that you won’t stifle his lifestyle. That’s right. Johnny Depp claims he doesn’t want to ruin his girlfriend’s last name.
#79. a bunch of smart folks from Rutgers University in New Jersey have made it their mission to discover the truth behind commitment-snubbing. He’s been with his girlfriend for eight years. for those desperate to tie the knot. ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’ as the charming expression goes. none of which are because he doesn’t love you enough to get hitched. and my mate Ken says he’ll ‘ruin the relationship’ with a wedding.244
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Male excuses for avoiding commitment run rampant and ridiculous. ladies. Brad Pitt famously said he’ll only get married ‘when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able’.16 Apparently it all boils down to this: men believe they can get all the beneﬁts of commitment without all the dreary obligations. WHY MEN WON’T COMMIT: Men have a GAZILLION reasons for refusing to commit. Luckily. our mothers may have been right all along when they warned us against giving up too much too soon.

They fear that marriage will require too many changes and compromises.’ According to bachelor Carl Weisman. I’ll go for someone I work with or someone I meet through friends. They can enjoy the beneﬁts of having a wife by cohabiting rather than marrying.
. and bonk buddies are fast becoming a single man’s best friend.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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The number one reason that men stay single? Because—surprise. They are waiting for the perfect soul mate and she hasn’t yet appeared. As one colleague of mine sniffed: ‘I go to bars to meet a certain type of woman. surprise—they can get sex without marriage more easily than ever before. Men can get some bedroom action without even paying for dinner. They want to wait until they are older to have children. Most men say that they view the women they meet in bars and at dance clubs as casual sex partners rather than ‘marriage material’. If I want a relationship. these are the reasons why modern men won’t commit: • • • • • • • They can get sex without marriage more easily than in times past. They want to avoid divorce and its ﬁnancial risks. They face few social pressures to marry. author of So Why Have You Never Been Married? 10 Insights Into Why He Hasn’t Wed.

I think most times women’s expectations are much too high. for one. . There are bridges to build. don’t earn enough money. these thoughts don’t begin to occur as life goals until they meet someone special or infatuating enough to raise the blood levels. nesting and homemaking is soul destroying and emasculating . trips to the moon to organise . am only too happy to commit for the right lady.Until then. . Don’t have the right job. For men. rivers to cross. We can’t all be millionaire CEOs. the desire for children shouldn’t be discussed or on your radar. For men. . They want to own a house before they get a wife. don’t hang out with the right people etc. . They want to enjoy single life as long as they can.
• • •
From the Male Room
‘Unlike many women. I need
. Women incorrectly put the cart before the horse. men don’t look at what they want to get out of life and answer “get married and have children”. . . Find the right guy and then think about children . Even then.’ —Halberstram ‘I.246
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(And there are a lot of women like this. girls!’ —John P ‘I’ve paid off my house single-handedly—so why would I want to give it away to a woman who just decides one day to up and out of the marriage?
. Her biological clock is ticking and she wants to have kids.’ —Trueblue ‘These days. But that’s okay—if you break up she’ll take 60 per cent of your assets and you can pay her a regular child support allowance for the next ﬁfteen years. The chances of divorce are high because you’ve rushed into it and haven’t taken a long time to get to know each other. And if you want to see your kids on a regular basis then she’ll choose what city you’ll be living in for the rest of your active life. Sorry. I’m in my mid-thirties and here is a scenario I see often in my age group. the question is why would a bloke settle for any particular cow when most of the herd is giving away the milk for free.) Although you’ve only known each other for a little while she wants to settle down and have kids almost immediately.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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to get a date ﬁrst before I can commit to anyone. You meet a woman in her mid-thirties. What man could resist an offer like that? Must be a commitment phobe!’—Rufus ‘Yes. I admit it (I was forced to under pain of torture). I am probably a commitment phobe.

‘marriage’. This will make him think that you’re so into weddings and
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The Chase Plus—a man who has been ﬁnancially ruined with a divorce settlement and child support payments is then regarded as “damaged goods” by further prospective partners. kids or moving in together. because I don’t want kids either—ever. No. simply shrug and say that you haven’t really considered it yet. Even after those ﬁrst three months have passed. ‘kids’ or mention anything about the future in the ﬁrst THREE MONTHS of dating him. thanks! The golden-egg-laying goose has long since been killed off. kids or lovey-dovey-ness in his presence. and when he asks you how you feel about marriage. And there’s no bigger turn-off to me than the “ticking biological clock”. because a cost-beneﬁt analysis shows modern marriage to not be worth the risk for men. ‘boyfriend’. but if it’s something he’s into then you’ll think about it. He’ll be so used to women behaving in the opposite manner that you’ll knock him off his feet and he’ll probably beg you to commit! Never gush over other people’s weddings.’—David
Sam’s foolproof tips on how to get a man to commit
• Never use the words ‘commitment’. ‘ex-boyfriend’. make sure he brings those topics up ﬁrst.

it’ll give you a chance to ﬁnd out ahead of time what it’s like to sleep in the same
. Chances are he’ll be a whole lot more respectful of you next time!
And if he still refuses to commit? Don’t fret. try saying something like. Have your own life OUTSIDE your relationship. as long as you’re getting your dream white wedding. why not? After all. doesn’t call you and comes home at extremely odd hours. he means to fail you anyway. and don’t get annoyed when he goes out with his mates.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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•
•
commitment that it doesn’t really matter who the man is. Simply do the same thing when he least expects it—and leave your phone at home so you’re not tempted to pick it up. ‘I’d really like it if you spoke to my friends more—they hardly know you and I’d love them to see how much of a cool guy you are.’
Moving in together—are the odds against you?
Thinking of moving in together before you get hitched? Well. Instead.’ Be positive. Show him you’re not always available when he calls you. As the age-old proverb goes: ‘When a man repeats a promise again and again. This puts a man off so fast you’ll think you’re yesterday’s takeout! Never openly complain about his behaviour.

ﬁght over who had the last drop of milk and so on. it’ll be cheaper. Or even a lasting relationship. share the bathroom.’ German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed we should all ‘live dangerously’ if we want to reap the greatest enjoyment and fruitfulness from life. you’ll halve the laundry load and there’ll be someone else to do the dishes at night. ‘It’s like buying a car without a test drive. On the upside. deal with his mood swings. Nor does living together translate into a better relationship.
. two bathrooms and a trained chihuahua would make them as excited as a kid in a candy store. but moving in with someone is a whole different ball game from going bungy jumping.’ many of my friends in their late twenties and early thirties replied when I posed the question to them during my research. being asked to move into a new partner’s luxurious abode with park views. it’s just not the case. But the initial rush doesn’t last. or a pair of shoes without trying them on. ladies. entering Australian Idol or taking a peek at a picture of Britney Spears sans her underwear. Before you complain that it’s 2010 and those ancient ‘living-in-sin’ rules no longer apply. let me just say that I’ve worked hard to ﬁnd some research that puts a positive spin on shacking up without the ring.250
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bed with him night after night. What’s not to love about it? ‘It’s absolutely necessary to live with someone before marriage. Sure. but sadly. for many women. ‘How can you not?’ they went on.

think again. you didn’t take my advice and you live with someone for a few months or even years. instead of working at the relationship. with only 26 per cent of women and a scant 19 per cent of the men surveyed marrying the person they cohabited with. when things don’t go your way.
Introducing the modern peril of serial monogamy
So.17 Author and relationship expert Laura Schlessinger backs up the stats. If you thought shacking up before the big commitment would improve your chances. a married couple might—you simply pack up your things and move in with the next person.C H OOSING TH E RIGH T RE L AT I O N SHI P
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#80. Then. She cites ‘shacking up with your honey’ as one of the ‘ten stupid things women do to mess up their lives’ in her book of the same name. DON’T SHACK UP! A Columbia University study found there’s actually less chance of marrying a person when you live with them. As I said. the survey showed that partners who live together before marriage are nine times more likely to split up than those who get married. Ouch.18 And if that’s not enough to convince you that living together before marriage may not be such a great
. like say.

Even if he begs you to move in. I’m not sure I believe that one but it’s enough to scare off any man!
#81. At least until you get that ring!
. get and keep your OWN place. CHASE TIP: If you want a man to respect you.252
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idea. those same surveys found that couples who live together before marriage don’t have the best sex. Keep your place on the side.

love causes it. but sex is a matter of physics.
Unknown
.
Woody Allen
Love is a matter of chemistry.11
Advanced bedroom skills: How to keep the sex hot and steamy
Sex relieves tension.

And then. after the women have downed a few peach bellinis. There’s sex in the shower resulting in a broken collarbone. There’s been drunken sex. Especially when it comes to sex.
. how to fake an orgasm to boost his ego. and then the stories start to ﬂow. sober sex. this is not where the contention lies. no.254
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Mistakes women make in the bedroom
It’s a universally acknowledged truth that when a group of women gets together and overpriced champagne is thrown into the mix. the conversation turns to the lessons. confessions are made. and how to boost his ego without having to fake an orgasm. breathe in and out and remember to continually swallow). and men who can’t get it up after claiming they got a hair stuck in their throat. because every girl has her tricks: how to go down on him without gagging (relax your throat. how to get him to go down on you for hours (use a feminine hygiene product called Vagisil Foaming Wash. ofﬁce sex and booty-call sex. Oh. Never once (okay. Yet despite all the intricacies of various positions and praying that you don’t fart during sex. subtly shove his head in that direction and make noises of encouragement). sex with the yoga instructor in the lotus position. ‘I had sex last night’ is how the conversation begins.

And if not. No. Tweekerchick allowed me to pick out some tips from her top-ﬁfty list of the worst mistakes women make when having sex (see Tweekerchick. Two people hot for each other can ﬁgure these things out on their own. and just in case you’re wondering. A very savvy woman called Tweekerchick has put together one of the most honest and open appraisals on female bedroom shortcomings I’ve ever seen. in the ﬁve years I’ve been writing my dating column have readers of either sex written in to ask me how to have sex in the jacuzzi in the ‘wheelbarrow’ position while hitting the G-spot without dislocating their knee.com for the full list). SEX IS FUN: As long as there’s laughter involved and you’re truly in the moment the sex will be good regardless of your technique.blogspot. Confidence is key!
maybe only once). I did indeed run these by the blokes in the Male Room. there’s always porn to teach them. Oh. When I asked if she would be a part of this book. the topic that most comes up is the confusion between what women think men want in the bedroom and what they really want or think but don’t dare articulate.
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#82.

• Being selﬁsh in bed. But expecting him to be all roses and candles all the time is like expecting you to act like a porn star all the time. It makes men pass out. Figure it out. A little snuggling isn’t unreasonable. If you’re not willing to do that. Sex makes most women want to talk and bond. Sometimes. Contrary to popular belief. Sometimes that’s nice. but when it’s time to actually sleep? An arm draped over you should sufﬁce.com) • Assuming he can get a raging hard-on when it suits you. Stop ﬁghting it. Getting him hard is your job. If you don’t. and stop holding it over his head—it’s not his fault. It’s a biological thing.256
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Mistakes women make when having sex
(from tweekerchick. It gets uncomfortable after a while. don’t expect him to switch for you. it’s your own fault when he’s snoozing and you’re all wound up. • Expecting him to cuddle. • Expecting him to always lay on the charm and romance. You know what gets you off. Regardless of what glossy
. • Expecting him to fall asleep with you in his arms. Tell him. Men and women are wired differently.blogspot. • Leaving him responsible for your orgasm. men can’t just ﬂip a switch and get it up because you decided you want to get some action.

That’s ﬁne. great. He’s about to get lucky.Yes. Yes. Missionary is not an excuse to do nothing. But for the love of Christ. undress him yourself. If you like bush. The only relationship you have is that he has now stuck his hoo hoo dilly in your cha cha. Know why he’s pushing. Have you ever
. and have apparently ignored the other clues he’s given you. Pay attention to the signals that he’s sending you. Allowing your crotch to resemble the Amazon. Not moving at all. skippy? Because you aren’t doing it right. waxing hurts.That’s as far as it goes unless otherwise noted. Whining when he pushes your head down to his nether region instead of stroking your hair. sex is NOT just about you. If you have sensitive skin and can’t shave. Assuming that sex means a relationship. you’d better get out the razor. If you want your guy stubble free. Expecting him to undress himself with any amount of grace. some people don’t want to go bare. Get over it. Be glad he bothered to take his pants all the way off. Use your words. Expecting him to ﬁgure out what you like by what noise you make. trim if you want him to spend any time down there. Not shaving your legs. I feel for you. If it concerns you so much.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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magazines force down your throat.

Readjust your thinking. If you think that makes you a slut. Refusing to get on top. sensual ordeal. Not all men keep them on them. Dissing quickies because it’s not some slow. you shouldn’t be having sex anyway. I suggest buying a box and keeping it by your bed. Getting that bored look on your face. and it’s just as much your responsibility as it is his. I know for a fact that getting them off isn’t always easy. Leaving condoms up to him. There’s an awesome raw energy when you only have twenty minutes but having to have someone so bad that you do it half-clothed against the wall. and someone asked you to explain what was causing you to make that noise. Give him something to
•
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. 67 per cent of women would respond with answers like ‘I stubbed my toe’ or ‘I ran up the steps’. If you’re sexually active and insist that he uses a condom.258
The Chase actually heard what you sound like while you’re having sex? If you heard yourself on tape. Refusing to be spontaneous. I know this is shocking. I put a bra on almost every day. but sometimes sex OUTSIDE of the bedroom is fun. Go back to Junior High. Expecting him to undress you. Sex is a dynamic thing. Help a brother out. Men are more visual than women. There’s no reason men should have to do all the work.

he’s probably mortiﬁed and
. Letting him call the shots doesn’t make you any less of one. Faking orgasms.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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look at. Kiss them. So you’re a feminist. They’ll wash. This is not an interrogation or game of Twenty Questions. Refusing to use oils/whipped cream/other messy but fun things because you have 541510630 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets that were made by hand by the only person alive capable of sewing that pattern. Making a big deal out of it if he loses his hard-on. And if he doesn’t know it’s not working. suck on them. Refusing to let him take control. Just. Get on top and arch your back a little bit. just don’t ignore them. You miss a lot of good places by concentrating solely on his penis. starting a cycle of unfulﬁlling sex which will eventually be very damaging to his ego. Don’t. they are there. Ignoring his balls. and 2) you didn’t suffer a minor stroke rendering you unable to move. Big fucking deal. Move. Forgetting that he has a body that likes to be touched too. It happens. Do something to indicate that 1) you are not dead. Men have things like backs and shoulders and stomachs and other parts that are fun to kiss and touch. he’s not going to change it. make a relationship with them. Seriously. lick them. By faking (IF he believes you) you make him think he’s doing everything right.

‘I don’t know how it feels. The sad truth is. ladies—three quarters of the female population. Right now.260
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. it means he probably needs to take a drink. she admitted that she’d never actually had an orgasm. well-endowed bachelor for quite some time. Refrain from using phrases like ‘It happens to every guy’. It’s like watching the ﬁlm The Sixth Sense without getting to see the ending.19 That’s right. baby! Secrets of the Big O
‘I don’t like to have sex. No wonder she was avoiding bedroom shenanigans like the plague. perhaps not in that order. A staggering 75 per cent of women sometimes or never experience an orgasm during sex. Just move to other activities until it gets hard again. a leak and a nap. get off another way with him. He’s still capable of getting you off. once disclosed to me. When I tactfully investigated as to why she didn’t like what is arguably one of the greatest experiences known to humanity. Asking questions right afterwards. and if it doesn’t. Mumbling ‘Forget it’ and rolling over are not okay responses. The female equivalent of ‘Was it good for you?’ Now is not a good time to ask ‘what this means’. a beauty therapist.
•
Ooh. she’s not alone.’ she said. And this from a woman who’d been dating an eligible.

#83. SEX TIP: You’ll never have to fake an orgasm if you get the mental stimulation there first. smells.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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the dessert. ﬂab on our stomachs and tuckshop arms that might be a turn-off to the man we’re about to let us see naked. a staggering twenty minutes of direct stimulation for a woman to orgasm. while it takes a man a measly two to ﬁve minutes! While feminist writer Fay Weldon advised women to ‘fake it’ so men didn’t ‘become anxious and so less able to perform’. Women are turned on by their brains. so talk about what you’d like to do BEFORE you get to the bedroom. stressed out or would simply prefer to watch a re-run of Lipstick Jungle than have to grunt and groan in faux-pleasure for the next ten minutes. more practical solutions the the Big-O conundrum. I feel there are other. on average. Not to mention that we might be tired. or they aren’t able to fully allow themselves to lose control in order to get off. Especially since it takes. they’re not in the mood. or buying a pair of heels and never wearing them out. Surprisingly. It’s simply not fair!
The female brain
Some common reasons women give for not being able to orgasm include the environment isn’t right. this little trick works wonders!
. We worry about our bodies.

he’ll sense your pheromones heating up and get turned on too!
Let him know you’re not wearing any underwear at the dinner table. Not only will his ears prick up. and stimulate you manually. no matter how adventurous you get after reading the Kama Sutra.
#84. Talk to your partner about something sexual outside of the bedroom.
#85.262
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Teasing talk
The trick here is to get your mind in the right head space.
. WAX YOUR BITS: Get a Brazilian bikini wax and tell him about it. an orgasm doesn’t usually eventuate from penetrative sex.
Discover your personal orgasm triggers
For many women. Not only will you feel sexier. VIBRATOR ALERT: Your man needs to know that he has to pay attention to your clitoris or G-spot. but your juices will start ﬂowing before you’ve even touched. Tell him how great he was in bed the other night. orally and perhaps even with a vibrator if you actually want to come.

20 which. arching your back to maximise clitoral stimulation and squeezing your pelvic ﬂoor muscles to activate your pleasure muscles.
#86.
. or alone and learn a few things along the way. Forget girly magazines and go for the real thing! Your man will be pleasantly surprised. or that your man is Brad Pitt’s character in the movie Troy and his sole mission in life is to pleasure you. Try something like Candida Royalle’s videos.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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You also need to do a bit of the work. The key here is to remember that it’s all about your experience. Imagine you’re at your favourite exotic destination. SEX TIP: FEMALE-FRIENDLY PORN is the ultimate way to improve your sex life. Watch it together. Try breathing slowly and deeply. NB** Not to be used for the purpose of onenight stands. are speciﬁcally designed for couples with the focus on pleasuring women. Some women ﬁnd that escaping into a fantasy world helps to alleviate much of the stress they can associate with sex. porn isn’t actually a bad idea—if it’s done right. so you’ll need to pick out some female-friendly porn that will turn you on as much as it will him.
Porn isn’t all bad
If you’re looking to add to your sexual experience. unlike most of the stuff on the internet.

She was an extremely sexual person and yet. they hadn’t progressed past what she termed the ‘vanilla variety’—straight-downthe-line missionary sex with little experimentation. Women don’t require a recovery time after an orgasm like men do. Jasmine emailed me complaining bitterly that her sex life had about as much spark as a box of wet matches. Reading her email.264
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Multiple orgasms
The good news for women is that. which means that once you’ve had one orgasm you can have another one within a matter of minutes! Try it!
What they didn’t teach you in sex ed
Sex can be female-friendly. . otherwise known as the ‘multiple orgasm’. She’d been dating the same dude for over two years and things in the bedroom had hit a sexual plateau. But most women don’t dare to
. despite doing it regularly. . and a whole lot of practice. She begged me for a strategy on how to broach the topic with her man without coming across like a sex-crazed ﬂoozy. we have the ability to orgasm more than once during the same sexual experience. I was struck by the realisation that men probably have no idea that women too secretly crave wild. wanton sex complete with ﬁlthy words and fantasies. You just need to do a little research . unlike men.

no matter how many times you pray to the sexual gods.
Non-cheesy tips for improving your sex life
• Buy your man a copy of The Joy of Sex or the Kama Sutra and peruse it together. Explain to your man that these positions will give you a better chance at having an orgasm.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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tell. Remember. you’re looking speciﬁcally for scintillating new positions that will stimulate your G-spot. Tell him that the woman in the movie looks like she’s getting an immense amount of pleasure from the sex and you’d like to try it out and see if it works for you too.
•
. The trouble is that unless you’re a professional porn star. if you really want to spice things up in the bedroom. spankingcrazed nymphomaniac. Immediately his ears (and other areas) will tingle with anticipation and before you know it the missionary position will be a thing of the past! Hire a ﬁlm that you know has a killer sex scene (Wild Things and Basic Instinct are a good start) and casually ask your boyfriend if he’d ever like to try something like what he’s witnessing on the screen. So. the kinky ball needs to be in your court. for fear her man will think she’s a slutty. your man isn’t going to turn up to the bedroom in a spiky dog collar with a vibrating dildo in his hand asking you how many times you’d like him to go down on you unless you tell him that’s exactly what you want.

Just remember to keep it safe. and be prepared. that it’s just a myth created by women to make men feel inadequate for being unable to ﬁnd it. to tying him up with a pair of her stockings. to dressing up as Russian spies. They can be anything from keeping the lights on during sex. Beyond these simple rules. to her doing a striptease routine.
. And get practising. Some say there’s no such thing. As one keen male experimenter recently confessed: ‘No-one likes to be left tied up for hours while your partner rummages around the house trying to ﬁnd a pair of scissors. Others reckon it’s as real as Heidi Klum’s breasts and that there are thousands of women who have been lucky enough to experience the G-spot orgasm. let your imagination run wild! (Oh. But one that has confused women the world over—even more than Sarah Palin’s views on foreign policy—is the illusory G-spot— the mysterious female body part rumoured to produce a feeling of euphoria unlike any other. painless and for his beneﬁt too. It hurts!’)
The illusory G-spot
Fact alert! Life has many enigmas.266
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#87. NEW BEDROOM RULE:
You’re not allowed to have sex in the same position more than once a week.
•
Don’t be shy—suggest some of your own fantasies.

Early on. have a whiz around Google and The Art of Sex and do yourself a favour—train your man to find the goddamn thing!
. let me tell you a bit about how the whole notion of the G-spot ﬁrst came about. Researching medical literature. caused orgasm. and created a stir when they reported on it at a medical conference and in their 1982 book. or G-spot. Perry. an American researcher by the name of Beverly Whipple challenged the conclusion that some women lacked a G-spot. when stimulated.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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Before we work out how to ﬁnd it. psychologist John D. SEX TIP: Certain positions will help hit the G-spot more so than others.21
#88. they found that Dr Ernst Grafenberg of Germany had reported in 1950 that women had an internal erogeneous zone that. discovered their volunteers had a mysterious sensual area inside the vagina. Whipple and a colleague. Whipple and Perry named it the Grafenberg spot. Unlike other researchers who had gleaned information on Americans’ sex habits and preferences from face-to-face interviews or large anonymous surveys. doing studies on female volunteers to learn how the sexual organs. The G Spot and Other Discoveries About Human Sexuality. Whipple and her team worked in a laboratory. nerves and brain interact. Do your research. A quarter of a century ago.

‘It’s about making love. I was eager to ﬁnd out more. When Cosmopolitan magazine asked me to do a feature story on the supposed ‘science of ecstasy’. If you don’t learn anything.
Going Tantric: The science of ecstasy
P. and that it needs to be stimulated through means other than just intercourse. not getting off. SEX TIP: Don’t be afraid to take a Tantric course with your partner. at least it will all be for a bit of a laugh. And you can always suggest practising more at home. Sting swears it saved his marriage. Diane Riley.’ she said. explained to me that the focus of Tantra isn’t on the actual orgasm but on breathing and connecting instead. talking about Tantra: the 5000-year-old practice that promises to improve your sex life by combining spirituality with sexuality. Diddy says it gives him thirty hours of pleasure. about a third of the way up the vagina.
My session began with Tantric guru Michelle.
#89. of course. I am.268
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Whipple’s research has shown that all women describe some degree of sensitivity in the area. co-founder of the Australian School of Tantra. and Scarlett Johansson allegedly dabbled in it with ex-beau Josh Hartnett. who explained that to get into the Tantric zone you have to
.

gets me to stand up in front of him and breathe deeply with my eyes closed while he tickled my body with feathers and fur gloves. Then he asked me
. apparently many people have sex while thinking of a million other things. I have to say. were guaranteed to make his ‘wand of light’ (penis) feel three feet long and lead to multiple orgasms later on. prodding. Instead. neither partner is allowed to roll over for a snooze. I was delighted to move on to the sensual massage part of the treatment. Michelle went on to the secrets of Tantric massage.A DVA NCE D BE DROOM SKI L L S
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sit opposite your date or partner and breathe loudly and deeply together. an expert in Tantric massage. which. facing him. we’re supposed to share with each other what parts we enjoyed. After all that breathing. and the deep breathing and eye contact continues. Chris. He told me to focus my energy upwards from my pelvis and into my chest to make me more present and ‘in the moment’. she said. all this seemed very non-erotic to me. I slipped off my clothes. The next step is to move your hands onto each other’s ‘sex centre’ before going into the infamous Tantric Yab-Yum position. I watched her demonstrate some strokes on a plastic model but it was a little confusing and I was glad to be given an instruction sheet to take home. tied on the mandatory sarong and was led to a dimly lit room ﬁlled with candles and sensual music. This is where the bloke sits cross-legged with his partner sitting on top. touching and alleged multi-orgasmic sex. with her legs wrapped around his waist.

which Chris says promotes sexual enlightenment and empowerment (and possibly a few orgasms along the way). I emerged from the massage feeling slightly tingly. Learn the art of it and remember that practice makes perfect. and learned that the follow-up sessions would involve more focus on the yoni (vagina).270
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to lie on the bed. . SEX TIP: Massage is a fail-proof method of turning both you and your partner on.
Back home I’m too tired to spend the extra ten minutes before bed focusing on breathing in unison with my partner and we fall asleep before I can get even a glimpse of who got booted off Australian Idol.
#90. where he got rid of all the tension in my neck. . Maybe all that slow breathing is best reserved for the weekends .
.

She’d even given away some of her slinkiest shoes to make room in her closet for all the baby gear. . She dished herself up a little of each ﬂavour of ice-cream—her newfound food obsession. thank God. She’d taken off her party hat.A Cautionary Tale: Jane
‘Here’s to Jane and Duncan! Proof that true love can really be right under your nose and you’d never ever know it!’ It was Jane and Duncan’s engagement party and Poppy had just ﬁnished her maid-of-honour speech. There was hope for them all .
. lunch and dinner. where the engagement party was taking place. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. she loved it so much. Even though she was doing it all on her own. Poppy’s life had done a complete 360. something that was going to save her from herself. clutching her pregnant belly. she’d allowed herself to ﬁnally taste the stuff. She’d deleted all the club bouncers from her speed dial. Jane and Duncan stood holding hands at the entrance into their newly purchased three-bedroom house in the Hills. she truly believed this baby was a blessing. Duncan had carried out the perfect proposal. Now that her modelling career was over (at least for now). . Jane looked at the massive rock on her ﬁnger and sighed with happiness. At least the calcium would be good for the baby. And God. She stepped down from the platform and waddled over to the dessert table. She was eating ice-cream for breakfast. Everything had worked out. She looked at Jane and Duncan—so deliriously happy—and she knew there was hope.

The air stewards threw streamers in the air. clutching an open box with the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen in her life. . ‘So you’d better not reject me. Janey. . leaping forward to kiss Duncan. ‘Yes! Yes! Of course I will. they felt like rock stars.272
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Midway through the plane ride to her surprise weekend.
. Jane . I’ve loved you ever since the moment our chapsticked lips locked behind the gym all those years ago. . ( Streamers? Jane thought. will you marry me?’ The entire plane fell silent. Duncan held the microphone towards Jane. ‘Jane. she thought. When she entered the cockpit. I never forgot about you. It was the best moment of her entire life so far . Duncan was in the bathroom and so Jane had gone alone.’ Tears started to stream down Jane’s face.’ Jane said. There was Duncan. she almost fell over. As Jane and Duncan walked back to their seats. his words heard by the entire plane. Was this all pre-planned?) ‘Champagne for everyone!’ Duncan announced. It’s really happening. it’s happening.’ he’d told her. The passengers erupted into cheers. . with one knee on the ground. Duncan took hold of the intercom microphone and began to speak. ‘This is a bit embarrassing. Everyone was congratulating Jane and highﬁving Duncan. one of the stewards had invited Jane to the cockpit. Oh my God. And I’ve been holding out for you ever since. and the stewards began popping bottles.

Janey. Duncan had whispered into her ear. ‘You’re my Wonder Woman.A CA U TIONA RY TA LE : JAN E
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When they got back to their seats.’ There was a single red rose waiting for her on her seat. And don’t you ever forget it.
. You’re “the one”.

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Staying on track: How to make your relationship work
Every time you date someone with an issue that you have to work to ignore. men for what they promise to be. you’re settling.
Anon
Girls we love for what they are.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
.

While the ﬁlm He’s Not That Into You makes the brilliant point that ‘if you date a girl too long and don’t marry her you’re a jerk’. It never works and you’ll only lose him for good. Ladies.
. I don’t care what you read in magazines or see on TV. it also informs women of the consequences of the ultimatum tactic. it ends. then ultimatums.
#91. Ben (played by Bradley Cooper). the sad news is that trapping a man into marriage simply doesn’t work in the long run.
My 36-year-old accountant friend Kendra felt like it was time to give her man an ultimatum after seven years together without so much as a hint that one day she might walk down the aisle as the bride not a bridesmaid. ends up lying and cheating throughout the marriage. And when he realises he was actually tricked into the marriage. traps and coercion are deﬁnitely not the way to go. NO ULTIMATUM RULE: NEVER give a man an ultimatum to marry you.STAYING ON TRA CK
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How to NOT get him to propose
If you ever want to see that ring. who only marries after his girlfriend forced him into it with an ultimatum.

Good reasons to ask him about marriage
• When you’ve been dating for three to four years and you want to know where he wants this to go. ‘Is there something wrong with me? It’s been seven years!’ Feeling left on the shelf while you’re actually in a relationship is tough. Maybe your bloke has valid reasons for not popping the question. and always introduces you as his ‘friend’ rather than his girlfriend or partner. but you’re interested in his point of view on the subject.
. Marriage proposals are ricocheting through Hollywood faster than Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari. Tell him that you’re not particularly fussed about marriage. (Even Pamela Anderson tied the knot with the same man for the third time!)
Signs that he’s never going to propose
• • • He refuses to talk about the topic. He acts likes he’s still single even though you’ve been together a few years.276
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‘Why hasn’t he proposed?’ she sniffed on the phone to me one afternoon. but open up any gossip magazine and you can’t help but feel left out of the mad rush to get a bit of bling on your wedding ﬁnger. blaming his divorce. his ex-wife and his current ﬁnancial situation. He turns up his nose at every wedding the two of you have to attend together.

At least not for a long time. You think your biological clock is ticking and you want to settle down.
Bad reasons to ask him about marriage
• • • • All your friends are tying the knot and you’re jealous. remember. You’ve found the perfect white dress but don’t have an occasion to wear it. You’ve just moved in together. Don’t do it if you want to get married!
From the Male Room
‘A guy will propose when he is ready and when there has been a “trial period”—long enough to satisfy himself that the woman doesn’t use sex as a bargaining tool. he has the milk for free so he won’t be buying the cow.’—Bender
. and when he is sure that the woman is in it for the long haul not just something to do for fun for as long as it suits her. HE’S GOT THE MILK: Once you’re living together. won’t get lazy and complacent and blimp up.
#92.You get what you put in.STAYING ON TRA CK
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•
You’re pregnant and would prefer to be married when you have the baby.

’ —Jonk ‘Men HATE being manipulated. Neither option is any fun for a man.278
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. My response: “You’re kidding right?” She didn’t appreciate it. while accepting emasculation just drives home the fact that he is “whipped” and she is in charge. but then again neither did I the question. The words “manipulated” and “emasculated” sound and feel very much alike to a man and we get them confused.

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Other things men want you to know
Men are good in one way. but bad in many. but only enough blood to run one at a time.
Robin Williams
.
Aristotle
God gave men a brain and a penis.

When they showed a bunch of photos of ridiculously good-looking women to a group of men while monitoring their brain activity.’ Brain researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital concur. As Germaine Greer once sniffed: ‘Men prefer looks to brains because they see better than they think. Brad Pitt’s face or the biceps of the cute guy who makes us coffee every morning.280
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Why do men ogle women?
Some of the most common questions that women ask about men are: Why do men ogle? Why do men wolf-whistle at anything with two legs? The answer is quite simple really. but a woman is unlikely to shout out obscenities at passing gents. women can appreciate David Beckham’s abs. Men are visual creatures. big boobs promise good nutrition for future offspring. or openly rate men walking past their café table from one to ten. Of course. they discovered that the images switched on the same parts of the male brain that is switched on by money and by cocaine!22 Even the male fondness for big breasts is biological (or so male scientists claim) because. biologically. women are looking for a man with father potential who will have the ‘tendency to stick around’. Instead. one survey on seduction found that women aren’t as attracted to good-looking men because they’re worried they will ‘impregnate and leave’ them.)23
. Ogling is in their nature. (Interestingly.

Later. she shared this little gem of advice with me: ‘Even though he has the Porsche. he’s not looking to buy!
From the Male Room
‘Okay . insecure and unhappy. . there are some men that do admire women for having great calves or a nice cleavage but this doesn’t translate straightaway into wanting to see you naked. It’s in their nature! The minute you start to whine and nag and pull him up on it. I was surprised and mightily impressed when she just laughed it off. A hint of ﬂesh is the easiest way to get a guy’s attention.Yes.’ With this attitude. nor do they admire women for their multitudes of designer clothes or make-up collection. Let him look . whether it be an extra button undone on your top
. she has no trouble with her man at all. let’s get things straight! Real men do not ogle women’s shoes. . . you will make him feel stiﬂed. Don’t get upset when your man starts to look at other women in front of you.OTH E R TH INGS ME N WA NT YO U T O KN O W 2 8 1
It’s unlikely you’re ever going to stop your man from ogling (apparently men spend a whopping six months out of their lives checking out other women) but you can choose how to deal with it. . it doesn’t mean he can’t look at the Ferrari. Recently I was out with a gorgeous-looking female friend and her boyfriend and both of us caught him staring at another woman walking by.

why does he still need to look at porno magazines?’ one reader.’—Paddy ‘I have always found that women are just as bad as guys. Ogling can be quite fun. the fact is men are visual creatures. The whole day can suck. they just hide it better.’—P
Why do men look at porn?
‘When a man’s in a relationship. As long as we don’t obviously stare at her boobs.’—Greentinge ‘There is absolutely nothing on a dreary. The fact is. Tracey asked me.24 (Although many men suggest the statistics are closer to once a day!) While most women would prefer to believe their man would never watch porn (and are completely ﬂabbergasted when they ﬁnd his hidden stash under the bed or in the linen cupboard). a staggering 70 per cent of men aged 18–34 view porn on the internet once a month. they have an insatiable
.282
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their older brothers or their more experienced mates.OTH E R TH INGS ME N WA NT YO U T O KN O W 2 8 3
#93. he is not looking to date these women!
appetite for looking at naked bodies on their television or computer screen. where to touch women and what exactly to do with their equipment. But don’t think that watching porn has anything to do with your man thinking your sex life together is dreary or that your backside is too fat to turn him on. lads’ mags.
. The men I spoke to claim they look at porn for reasons unconnected to their partner. which positions look best in the mirror. or even get upset about. the better. MEN AND PORN: ALL men look at porn. ALL men. they learn from watching porn. They learn what sex is meant to look like. Oh no. That’s right ladies. It’s not something you should take offence to. how to do it properly. Again. The sooner you get your head around that.
Reason 1: Sex ed
Everything that men never learned in sex ed classes.

Men are biologically programmed to respond to two (or three or four) people having sex. But if it gives a guy confidence in the bedroom and he’s doing it to please us. ‘butt rodeo’ or ‘cajun hot stick’ positions. although very occasionally you’ll hear a woman complain that her man wanted to attempt the ‘tossing the salad’.
Reason 3: Sexual motivation
One of my work colleagues. and the act of watching it is so normal to them they’ll even swap DVDs with their mates. explained to me that men sometimes watch porn to become more sexually motivated when the relationship has gotten a little stale. just like women swap chicken recipes and chick-lit novels. MAN PORN FACT:
Most of the time they won’t attempt to try out what they see. looking at porn is a way to get the guy excited and interested again. ‘After the initial sexual spark is gone.284
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#94. watching porn can relieve all that built-up sexual tension. We’re not daydreaming about other women—we’re there to make our own relationship improve!’
. then what’s to complain about?
Reason 2: Sex on the brain
With sex on their brain most of the day (you have to wonder how men get any work done). Ben.

It can either spice up the relationship or act as a replacement for needs that aren’t being met. It makes them feel masculine and manly and loving and helps them want to be a better partner to you. To men. Because as the men I polled fervently declared: the more they’re told they can’t have it. It’s to do with the connection between the two people.’ My best advice to all women? Allow your man to feel at ease about watching a little onscreen action. Don’t risk it. no matter how much you abhor the thought (or sound) of it. then you know there’s a bigger problem. and possibly into the arms of another woman.OTH E R TH INGS ME N WA NT YO U T O KN O W 2 8 5
That can work in two ways. . WITHHOLDING SEX: I know you think it might be in your power to withhold sex from a man.
. . sex is their way of showing love (when they’re in a long-term committed relationship). of course. Don’t deny them that pleasure . As Ben observes: ‘If your own sex life is inadequate and your partner is constantly watching porn instead of paying attention to you. but by doing so you’re pushing him further and fur ther away. the more they want it!
#95.

Porn is porn.286
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From the Male Room
‘I love porn and I love my girlfriend . the alternative of “real sex” with the missus/partner/GF is a no-brainer. will you have us? Take a closer look at what constitutes mainstream porn these days—silicone breasts. just a visual aid. but the idea was there and neither of us had any greater expectations other than it would provide a nice erotic segue into the bedroom. If you care and love your
. and as everyone knows. I feel like more sex after watching porn actually. ugly hair extensions. . Really just the female form and performance . I love sex with my girl but the deﬁning difference between porn is that I appreciate her in more ways than just her body.’—Aero ‘Girls. are you kidding? Hollywood McPorn is so unsexy and boring. males are very visually orientated while women are more emotionally focused. But I think it’s a primal thing for guys to appreciate all types of female forms and that’s the reason I enjoy porn. My ex actually bought us a porn DVD and we had planned to watch it together as foreplay to what was already a pretty damn good sex life. Ultimately that didn’t happen. . The question is. tandoori tans and skinny chicks: GROSS!’—Miles ‘I seriously doubt that porn has much to do with a guy’s view on a woman. Of course we’ll have you. . .

Or for ego gratiﬁcation. We lack the emotional guilt. If you’re low maintenance and you’re in a relationship then chances are you’re not shiny all the time.OTH E R TH INGS ME N WA NT YO U T O KN O W 2 8 7
partner.The answer to both questions is the same: both men and women are greedy. Or he may believe women wouldn’t accept it if he wanted to sleep around. sex should just be a natural by-product no matter what position you choose!’—LoveAddict ‘Men cheat because they are bored and the woman they are with doesn’t have a strong physical relationship with them.’—AG ‘Why do women need more than one handbag? I don’t mean that to sound facetious either.’—Gary ‘Because we can have sex with one woman and still love another woman.’—Emdash ‘A man cheats when he thinks that there aren’t enough women on the planet who like him so he shouldn’t waste an opportunity. Give a guy a long enough spell with a non-shiny chick and
.’ —Hitch ‘Men like shiny things—exhibit A: the eye candy. He may also cheat if he doesn’t truly know what he wants or if he has a pathological nature or bad moral compass. dissatisﬁed and seeking some kind of gratiﬁcation and status through one-upmanship. or because he has low self-esteem.

If you want your guy to notice you instead of the other girls. when we’re hopefully given licence by the kind gentle blokes in this world to be as temperamental. morose and as irritable as we like without censure or judgment. reason or rationale. depressed and irritable without warning. (and wouldn’t it be a hell of a lot easier if they did?). stressed. Doctors and scientists reckon they’ve come up with a suitable explanation for why men get moody.288
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Why do men get moody?
We all know that the female species is notorious for mood swings. then be the eye candy. I’ve copped ﬂak for this opinion before but because I’m a glutton for punishment I’ll say it again. nor do they have a regular mood-swing pattern that would enable us to predict when to pack up for a holiday with the girlfriends. claiming that it has more to do with internal hormones than with how much action they get on the golf course
. it seems blokes can be just as sporadically moody (and for no reason at all) as women. it’s a whole different psychosexual story waiting to unfold. Most of the time our mood swings have no grounds whatsoever—unless it’s the time of the month. (Ha!) But when it comes to the gents and their dispositions. frustrated.We get angry.

‘I used to get upset when his mood swung so severely. Just like menopause for women. played a bad golf game. and anger that occurs in males and is associated with biochemical changes. it strikes men later on in life. Some blokes know that a sudden mood swing is based on the fact that they’ve missed the cricket on TV. author of The Irritable Male Syndrome: Managing the 4 Key Causes of Male Depression and Aggression. frustration. All he needs is a bit of sugar
. Never heard of it? Neither had I. deﬁnes IMS as: ‘A state of hypersensitivity. Others—like lawyer Tabitha’s new boyfriend—can’t quite pinpoint why they suddenly start snapping like any child. while millions of men are affected by IMS. They’ve even come up with a name for it: Irritable Male Syndrome.’ Tabitha said. ‘But then I ﬁgured it out: he hasn’t eaten all day! Now I simply carry around a bag of nuts and jelly beans with me and when he starts to lash out. they just know something isn’t right.000 men. who has based his ﬁndings on forty years of research and a poll of more than 10. anxiety. and loss of male identity.’25 According to the IMS theory. or IMS. hormonal ﬂuctuations. Psychotherapist Jed Diamond. which affects his brain and therefore his temper. not all men suffer from it.OTH E R TH INGS ME N WA NT YO U T O KN O W 2 8 9
or between the sheets. Of course. stress. haven’t eaten all day or aren’t getting enough sex. a man’s mood can swing from kind and loving to angry and aggressive at the drop of a hat thanks to a sudden drop in his levels of testosterone. I just feed him.

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and some carbohydrates and he’s back being his usual charming self. Works every time.’
#96. MAN TIP: Just like with females, if blokes eat right and look after their bodies, their moods shouldn’t swing too drastically, as long as they keep their stress levels low.

Why is it so important to keep our moods in check? Because we all know that misery breeds misery. When someone you’re with frequently gets moody and aggressive or introverted and depressed, it’s tough on you too. How are we to be happy if our partner is constantly putting us and themselves down? Perhaps those of us in that unbearable situation should heed Tabitha’s advice: ‘Either dump ’em or get yourself a bag of M&Ms to feed ’em with. And don’t forget that sex can be the ultimate IMS remedy.’
#97. SEX SOLVES ALL: If you are in a long-term relationship and notice your man is moody, or is constantly picking fights with you, don’t deny him sex. In fact, be more open to it! Sex is important for men for so many different reasons . . . specifically stress relief. It’s funny but after sex, all male worries seem to instantly dissipate. Mission accomplished . . . (in missionary!)

Epilogue
Six months later
It took weeks for Abigail to move out of the apartment she shared with Lloyd. Yet instead of moping around wondering why he wouldn’t marry her, she decided to hell with him! She was going to make her dreams come true with or without a guy to slow her down. And that’s exactly what she did. Now, with the wind whipping through her hair, she wound her convertible rental through the narrow streets and away from the glittering lights of Silicon Valley towards her new apartment in San Francisco. A warm glow ﬁlled her body as she turned a sharp corner and thought of the massive coup she had just pulled off. She had done it! She, Abigail, had pulled off a mammoth deal in the heart of the tech-world. She’d ﬁnally got angel funding for her online dating website www.luv-topia.com and now it was certain her business would be catapulted into the next stratosphere. Take that Lloyd. She pictured him angrily choking on his cornﬂakes when he read about her deal in the Wall Street Journal. Yes, she was giving him what was due—a big kick up the proverbial balls. She had gone where every aspiring online entrepreneur only dreamed of going. And now she would make sure nothing would stop her, especially not an empty ring ﬁnger. For months leading up to the big pitch in Silicon Valley, she had put in eighteen-hour days, making sure every detail of the website was perfect. She knew it had all been worth it the

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minute she stood up at the end of her meeting with Cameron Carter, head of Carter Investments, one of the largest angel investors in the Valley, and shook his hand. She had made it. And now she was ﬁnally able to live out her dreams. Abigail even looked completely different too. She’d done away with her specs and messy bun and instead had opted for a pair of contact lenses, a soft wavy blow dry that hung loosely to her waist, and was dressed in one of those cleavageenhancing wrap dresses by Diane Von Furstenburg.
#98. FEMININE WOMEN: Men revel in a woman who looks, tastes, smells and acts like a woman. Men are innately built to be drawn to the feminine ying to their masculine yang. Don’t attempt to flip the natural way of things outside of the boardroom. Put on a pair of heels, let your hair loose and flash a smile that is enhanced by a subtle slick of gloss . . .

Abigail ﬂinched as she remembered the time when she was trying so hard: ﬂashing her money around, proving to men how successful she was, proving to Lloyd that she could do a man’s job. God, the answer had been so simple, she thought. All she really had to do was to step back a little bit. Dress a little sexier. And boy, the men were responding. And chasing. Especially powerful men like Cameron Carter. Thinking back, she couldn’t believe that she had been that sad girl who had begged her boyfriend to propose. ‘What

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a loser,’ Abigail thought. ‘Who was I?’ She was over that stage of her life. It was time for the new Abigail to enter the world, with marriage being the furthest thing from her mind . . . Lulu was still single. Yet for the ﬁrst time in her life, she didn’t feel the urgent desperation to chase a man for his attention. She’d successfully completed the ex detox, had quit her high-ﬂying law career, moved to Paris to learn French and had swapped her gym routine for jogs around the romantic Luxembourg gardens. For once Lulu’s life wasn’t falling apart. And now, as she sat in a cab on her way to the famous Paris Ritz Hotel, she tossed a lock of her new caramel-highlighted hair away from her green eyes and smiled. She’d always wanted to go to the Ritz and since she didn’t have a boyfriend, she decided that she’d go alone. It was the way she’d been doing everything in her life lately. She’d ﬂown to Paris alone, found her own apartment, made new friends and learnt a new language. Yes, it feels pretty darn good, she thought as she stepped out of the cab.Yet as she reached the doors of the hotel, the darn maître d’ stopped her in her tracks. ‘Seul êtes vous?’ he asked, cocking one eyebrow in the direction of her empty arm. Are you alone? She felt herself about to snap. What the fuck is it to you that I’m alone? she thought. Just because everyone in this sodden world is married or has a boyfriend, doesn’t mean that I should have one too you stupid asshole! But instead of ﬂipping out, Lulu straightened out her dress, dropped her leather jacket

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to reveal her cleavage (perfectly enhanced by her new U-bra and artfully applied spray-tan), and pushed past him.
#99. SINGLEDOM DOESN’T SUCK: A single gal’s biggest obstacle is not her own loneliness but the sad judgments and snide comments made by those around her who think she should have a man by her side in order to be fulfilled. Ladies, get ready for a barrage of these sorts of sentiments being expressed by relatives, friends and strangers alike. But to hell with them! You’re a single gal and you’re proud of it. Plus you can smile knowing that you haven’t settled for anything less than you deserve.

‘Excusez-moi,’ Lulu smiled politely as she strutted past the maître d’. She didn’t need to be berated like that. Instead of feeling lonely, Lulu felt satisﬁed sitting in the corner of the bar sipping on her black rose cocktail. She knew that she was deﬁnitely not the only single woman left in the world. She also knew that when she was ready to meet The One, he would waltz into her life. But right now she was having way too much fun to worry about such things, especially thanks to the plethora of ripe French men available for the picking. Just the thought was enough to give her tingles up and down her spine. Life for Lulu had just begun . . .

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Soon after Jane’s fairytale wedding Poppy gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl weighing in at 5lbs 4oz. She named her Daffodil. Determined to put the entire Doug ordeal behind her, Poppy managed to keep his name right out of the media despite the prying eyes of the paparazzi.Yet instead of hiding away from the media, she channelled the interest in her private life into promoting her new venture: a baby fashion line called Daffy. Suddenly all the top magazines wanted to photograph her again, hailing her the hottest model mother to rival even Angelina Jolie. There was Vogue, Harpers and even W Magazine, and she was featured on the cover of every one of them. Pretty soon Poppy Belle was the belle of the ball once again and didn’t have a man to thank for it. Now she was determined more than ever to make sure that her baby girl would be given everything she never had. A secure future. And enough money to never have to rely on a man for anything . . . Courtney Luu moved in with Doug but two weeks later she found used condoms in his rubbish bin. They’d been having sex without. Courtney left him the next day. Doug is currently still single, much to his mother’s delight. Lloyd attempted to propose to Abigail three times after she left. He even ﬂew to San Francisco in an attempt to make amends. But Abigail was too busy enjoying a date with Cameron Carter to even bother picking up Lloyd’s call. Lloyd is still jobless and plays Nintendo in his spare time.

Jane told her second assistant to politely decline. The ﬁlm turned out to be a ﬂop anyway. get out as fast as your high heels can carry you. The Producer attempted to contact Jane to offer her an exclusive interview with the actors from his latest movie. Once a cheater.
. Jane is currently hosting her own entertainment news television show and she and Duncan will soon start trying for a baby.296
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#100. always a cheater. DON’T PUT UP WITH CHEATING:
The minute you suspect something is amiss.
Jane and Duncan have settled nicely into domestic Los Angeles bliss.

I had a moment of epiphany: everything we’re searching for is probably right under our noses. men who fuck and ﬂee.
. in order to become an expert at something. you need to clock up 10.000 hours of practice. the spinetingling nights out and the attention that feeds only our egos. just as we can’t do the same for him. While I haven’t exactly spent 10.000 hours of research into the topic. if we look hard enough. not our hearts. who use us and abuse us and manage to make us feel like the lowest scum on earth for allowing ourselves to trust them in the ﬁrst place. The second thing I realised is that we can’t rely on our partner to provide every missing element in our lives. There is more to life than dating bad boys. All that ‘you complete me’ bullshit spawned by the ﬁlm Jerry McGuire is just that: bullshit. by my reckoning. About a year ago. A team.000 hours bonking (the average person spends roughly 4380 hours of his or her life having sex). we’re merely companions and partners. when I started writing this book and started interviewing men.The last word
According to Malcolm Gladwell. If we stop opting for the quick ﬁx. author of Outliers. the candy sex. Couples don’t complete one another. I’ve probably clocked up way over 10.

And if a man isn’t chasing us—whether we’re single. dating him or ensconced in a long-term relationship with him—he just simply isn’t worth it. space and drive to want to pursue you.298
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The ﬁnal message is that women need to know their worth. no email. no follow-up date.
#101. No phone call. no birthday present. regardless of what it takes . . GOOD LUCK!
. no text. as opposed to someone you’re falsely infatuated with just because The Chase is giving you a surge of false hormones that make you feel more in love with them than you really are . And if he’s The One he’ll do anything to get you. . We need to stop chasing men and start realising that we need to be the ones to be chased. . It’s about giving him the time. KNOW YOUR WORTH: Making him chase you isn’t about playing games and not being yourself. You deserve to date someone who actually WANTS to be with you. refusing to meet your parents or not treating you the way you should be treated simply means one thing—NEXT. .

I hope you’re not too surprised . Finally. If a woman does sleep with them on the ﬁrst date.
•
Dating and sex
• 73 per cent of men would date someone outside of their religion and 66 per cent would marry someone outside their religion. 36 per cent said the reason was due to being burned by an ex-girlfriend and only 3 per cent admitted to being afraid of commitment. 34 per cent of men say a woman should sleep with them on the third date. 30 per cent hope to get lucky on the ﬁrst date and 5 per cent say they should wait three to six months.
•
•
.The Modern Man Survey results
Over the last year 2000 men took my ‘Modern Man Survey’. 30 per cent would not consider her more than a one-night stand. . here are the results. .
Single men
• 46 per cent of men believe they are still single because they haven’t met the right person yet. 74 per cent of men see themselves as the ‘nice guy’.

39 per cent of men think women should offer to pay on the date but he should foot the bill. while kids come in second place at 68 per cent and a failed marriage at 50 per cent. 70 per cent of men admitted that they didn’t call after a date because they just weren’t that into her. ‘Ex-boyfriend issues’ are considered baggage by 90 per cent of men. 22 per cent of men date more than 6 women at a time because they ‘like to keep my options open’.300
The Chase The majority of men surveyed think it’s acceptable for women to have slept with 1–5 men. The majority of men say that after they sleep with someone. followed by cleavage (25 per cent) and long hair (8. The top turn-on is a miniskirt at 50 per cent. The majority of men surveyed say they’ve slept with 1–5 women too.
•
•
Women and turn-offs
• • Nagging is the number one turn-off for men at a whopping 85 per cent. Speaking on her mobile phone during a date comes in at second place with 68 per cent of the votes.9 per cent). they would like to become exclusive (42 per cent).
•
•
• • • •
. the word marriage (72 per cent) or the fact that she wants kids (64 per cent). Women should never mention an ex on a date (84 per cent). followed by lack of self-conﬁdence at 64 per cent.

•
•
. More than 71 per cent of these cheaters say they cheated because the opportunity presented itself. 47 per cent say ﬂirting on the internet is cheating and 91 per cent say oral sex counts as inﬁdelity.TH E MODE RN M A N SU RVE Y RE SU LT S
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Living together
• 89 per cent of men want to live together with their partner before getting hitched. rather than being dissatisﬁed with their current relationship or falling in love with someone else. 74 per cent of men think that kissing is cheating.
Cheating
• More than half of the men surveyed (55 per cent) have cheated on their partner whereas 70 per cent have been cheated on.

Kerry Schneider. Gabrielle Kahn. Anna Tabachnik. who believed in The Chase from day one. Donna Sozio. Hollie McKay. whose unwavering support over the last four years of ‘Ask Sam’ has enabled me to have the best job in the world day in and day out. wonderful. she did eventually let me convince
. hot and hilarious gaggle of girlfriends. To Katrina Brown. You guys rock and I am forever grateful for all your incredible support and guidance. Tracy Katz. and even though she questioned the validity of most of my theories. I promise you everything you’ve told me will remain ‘anonymous’. woes. To my editor at the Sydney Morning Herald Stephanie Raethel and my brilliant sub-editor Steve Jacobs for allowing me the freedom to grow and expand ‘Ask Sam’ to my heart’s content. stories and crazy dating adventures with me and the world. Michaela Zucker and all the other women in my life who have so openly and honestly shared their tales with me without telling me to put my laptop away. Thank you for unashamedly sharing your problems. Thank you. To my brilliant publisher Louise Thurtell from Allen & Unwin.Acknowledgements
The bulk of this book would not have been possible without the constant and crazy adventures of my whacky. To my readers. Hollie Turner. Jaime Wright.

. To my parents Jon and Alice Brett. . game-playing. Most importantly.A CKNOWLE DGE MEN T S
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her that all this modern dating. and we’ll all need to run for cover. Thanks to my gorgeous brother Dale for all your insight. To Alexandra Nahlous for her wonderful guidance and endless hours spent making sense of my manuscript—you are brilliant. whose unwavering support for my adventures around the world in search of interviews and answers for this book have enabled me to live out my dreams and experience things that were once only a ﬁgment of my ambitious imagination. thank you to Mr Leopold— Joshy—the bloke who has stood by me throughout all this stuff. Stevie Moors and Max Markson from Markson Sparks. hilarious stories and support. I didn’t mean it. wit. Also thanks to Felicity McLean for your excellent work in publicity and to Nicola O’Shea for going through my manuscript with a ﬁne-tooth comb and making sure there weren’t too many swear words. Sorry for ratting you out in my column on the odd occasion. My dream team also includes my super agents Sarah Moore. You guys rock. Honest. I don’t know how he did it. pick-up artist and casual sex ‘stuff ’ really did go on.
. but one day he’ll be writing his memoirs of what it’s like to date the ‘dating expert’ .

by Irina Aleksander. www.
.com/doc/200803/single-marry. The Observer. Hence married men are less likely to stray than your hot single bachelor! 3. theatlantic. 7. Daily News. Dr Nick Neave is an evolutionary psychologist from Northumbria University and told the Daily Mail newspaper that women need men regardless of what they say. These folks have taken one of the ﬁrst looks ever into the biological basis for human attachment and bonding. ‘Dating Detox: I took a 3-year break from men’.observer.com/2008/o2/beware-lhomme-fatale. by Dr Nick Neave. www.co. ‘Beware L’Homme Fatale!’. Learn more at www. ‘Field guide to guys: L’Homme Fatale’. ‘Hollywood’s stand-in dads’. ‘Sorry but women are dependent on men’. by Kristen Kemp. ‘Marry him!’. The Atlantic. www.oxytocin.org/ oxytoc/. 4. 9. 8. by Lori Gottlieb. 2. jezebel.uk.Endnotes
1.com/5112428/ﬁeld-guide-to-guyslhomme-fatal. by Sadie.dailymail. Married men have less testosterone than bachelors. 6. according to anthropologist Peter Gray and a team from Harvard University. Jezebel. 5.

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by Kristin Booker. 19.com/Love-Signals-David-Givens/ dp/0517550377. www. Find out more at www.sirc.au. If this is you. Read more of ‘Love Signals’ by David Givens from www.com to ﬁnd out more. You should never have to endure an abusive relationship. New Jersey.com. See www.uk.kidsgrowth.tatler. 12. A Columbia University study says living with someone before getting hitched decreases your chance at a long-lasting marriage. please contact a place like Lifeline at www.com/Health/ ReproductiveHealth/sex-study-female-orgasmeludes-majority-women/story?id=8485289. Go to www.org. 16.org.abcnews.co. 11. Oh. com/200910324/dating-detox-do-you-need-rehab. 14. Rutgers University. 18.lifeline. dating and marriage’. Your Tango.yourtango.go. 17.
. One in ﬁve people carry an STD.amazon. see www. 10. 15. study by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe. by Susan Donaldson James. See www. ABC News. The Rules is a famous book written in the nineties giving women old-fashioned dating advice. www.com. ‘Female Orgasm May Be Tied to “Rule of Thumb”’. 13.drlaura. ‘Why Men Won’t Commit: Exploring young men’s attitudes about sex.therulesbook. and there’s less sex too—so don’t do it.

See www. 24. Candida Royalle is a former adult star who has gone on to launch Femme Distribution—female friendly porn.amazon. 21. 25.uk.telegraph.306
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20. You can buy the book at www. This is according to the Seduction Labs website: www. www.com/ Spot-Other-Discover ies-About-Sexuality/ dp/0440130409.candidaroyalle. 22.com. See www. According to the Chicago Tribune.org/2007/07/24/why-menare-more-visual/.menalive. 23.
.seductionlabs.com/. by Pat Hagan. ‘Men lose their minds when speaking to pretty women’.co.